water pick

noun

plural water picks
: a device that cleans teeth by directing a pressurized stream of water between and over them
Dentists warn that flossing with anything other than dental floss or a water pick can lead to gum damage.—The Griffon News

Word History

Etymology

respelling of WaterPik, a trademark

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of water pick was in 1965

Dictionary Entries Near water pick

waterphone

water pick

water pig

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Water pick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20pick. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Medical Definition

water pick

noun
-ˌpik How to pronounce water pick (audio)
: a device that cleans teeth by directing a pressurized stream of water between and over them
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...