Waterproof
/ˈwɔːtəˌpruːf/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjResistant to the effects of water.
adjMade of or covered with material that doesn't allow water in.
Sentence Examples
This watch is waterproof.
My camera is waterproof.
The young campers were kitted out with new waterproof jackets.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The rain jacket is completely ____, so it keeps me dry even in heavy rain.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Please make sure that you wear a ____ jacket if you are going for a walk in the heavy rain today.
Word Origin & History
From water + -proof. Compare West Frisian wetterproef (“waterproof”), Dutch waterproef (“waterproof”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The captain did a safety drill. This covered where the emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) was located, how to make a mayday call, and where the fire extinguishers were. A crew member demonstrated how to put on an immersion suit. These survival suits are waterproof full-body garments with a hood and integral three-finger gloves and boots. They are bulky and hard to get on but far more likely to save your life in cold water than a lifejacket."
— 2025 October 21, Rose George, “‘I knew in my head we were dying’: the last voyage of the Scandies Rose”, in The Guardian:
"The only waterproof plan and the one increasingly adopted by leading trades is the consolidation of the interests of all parties in a scheme of amalgamation."
— 1931, The British Clay Worker:
"Especially within an international framework, guarding this process is of the utmost importance. The eyes of the world are focussed on the action at hand and demand a waterproof plan and execution."
— 2001, W. A. M. van Dijk, J. L. Hovens, Netherlands. Koninklijke Marechaussee, Arresting war criminals:
"Unless you have a 100 percent waterproof plan to defraud insurance companies, I would suggest you don't do it."
— 2013, Barry Davies, Soldier of Fortune Guide to How to Disappear and Never Be Found, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., →ISBN:
"The dawn of the oil age was fairly recent. Although the stuff was used to waterproof boats in the Middle East 6,000 years ago, extracting it in earnest began only in 1859 after an oil strike in Pennsylvania. The first barrels of crude fetched $18 (around $450 at today’s prices)."
— 2013 August 3, “Yesterday’s fuel”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The rain jacket is completely ____, so it keeps me dry even in heavy rain.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Please make sure that you wear a ____ jacket if you are going for a walk in the heavy rain today.