Word of the Day
27 April 2026
faucet aerator
nounPlumbing
A device for faucets or taps which mixes air with water to reduce the flowrate.
Why this one
The screen at the tap mouth does two jobs at once: it cuts consumption and it turns a hard jet into a soft column that does not splash out of the basin. Most complaints about weak pressure trace back to one clogged with scale or grit.
In use
Pressure's fine at the stop tap, so it'll be the aerator on that mixer furred up again; I'll unscrew it and soak it overnight.
Written by our editors to show how the term is used, not a recorded quotation.