noun · neutral
runoff
UK/ˈrʌnɒf/US/ˈrʌnɔːf/RUN·off
Band 6-7speakingtask2
water (often with pollutants) that flows over the surface into rivers, lakes or the sea
Examples
“Heavy rainfall increased the runoff from the fields into the river.”
“Agricultural runoff often contains fertilizers that cause algal blooms.”
“Proper drainage systems reduce surface runoff and flooding.”
Band 8 sentence
“Excessive stormwater runoff from urban areas often transports pollutants into rivers, causing downstream water-quality problems.”
Collocations
- agricultural runoff
- surface runoff
- stormwater runoff
Word family
run off phrasal verbrunoff noun
Common mistakes
run off→runoff
the runoffs→runoff
Say it for a higher band
5flooding→6surface runoff→7+runoff
Synonyms
drainage
Easily confused
drainage
“Improving drainage can reduce surface runoff during heavy storms.”
Related words
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In Nature & Animals
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