Meanings
deep water1
noundeep water (countable and uncountable, plural deep waters)
plural deep waters
- countableuncountableWaters suitable for deep-draft ships, especially ocean-going.
But deep water was not secured until 1926, when Corpus Christi dug itself out 21 miles to the sea.
1940, Federal Writers' Project, Texas: A Guide to the Lone Star State, page 71 - countableidiomaticuncountableA difficult or embarrassing situation.
You will be in deep water if you are found copying work from other students.
Deep Water2
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 深水, 水深火熱 /水深火热
- 深水 (shēnshuǐ)waters suitable for deep-draft ships
- 水深火熱 /水深火热 (shuǐ shēn huǒ rè)difficult or embarrassing situation
Dutch diep water, in moeilijkheden
- diep waterwaters suitable for deep-draft ships
- in moeilijkhedendifficult or embarrassing situation
Finnish syvä vesi, pula
- syvä vesiwaters suitable for deep-draft ships
- puladifficult or embarrassing situation
- vaikeudetdifficult or embarrassing situation
French eau profond, to be in deep water
- eau profondwaters suitable for deep-draft ships
- to be in deep waterdifficult or embarrassing situation
- profonde détressedifficult or embarrassing situation
- être dans de beaux drapsdifficult or embarrassing situation
German tiefes Wasser, Schwierigkeiten
- tiefes Wasserwaters suitable for deep-draft ships
- Schwierigkeitendifficult or embarrassing situation
- tiefe Notdifficult or embarrassing situation
Hungarian mély víz, mély víz
- mély vízwaters suitable for deep-draft ships
- mély vízdifficult or embarrassing situation
Italian alto mare, alto mare
- alto marewaters suitable for deep-draft ships
- alto maredifficult or embarrassing situation
Japanese 深い苦痛
- 深い苦痛 (fukai kutsū)difficult or embarrassing situation
Polish głęboka woda, głęboka woda
- głęboka wodawaters suitable for deep-draft ships
- głęboka wodadifficult or embarrassing situation
Portuguese aperto, maus lençóis
- apertodifficult or embarrassing situation
- maus lençóisdifficult or embarrassing situation
Russian глубо́кая вода́, больша́я беда́
- глубо́кая вода́ (glubókaja vodá)waters suitable for deep-draft ships
- больша́я беда́ (bolʹšája bedá)difficult or embarrassing situation
- бе́здна а́да (bézdna áda)difficult or embarrassing situation
Spanish profunda angustia
- profunda angustiadifficult or embarrassing situation
Swedish djupt vatten, farled
- djupt vattenwaters suitable for deep-draft ships
- farledwaters suitable for deep-draft ships
- djupt vattendifficult or embarrassing situation
Vietnamese nước sôi lửa bỏng
- nước sôi lửa bỏngdifficult or embarrassing situation
Cite this entry
APA
deep water. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deep%20water
MLA
“deep water.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deep%20water. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “deep water,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deep%20water.
Source: deep water on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.