A water fountain is a device that ejects a fountainlike stream of water that can be drunk from without a cup.

Water fountains are often for public use—they provide access to drinking water in places like government buildings, schools, and parks.

There are many different designs for water fountains, but they all generally work by ejecting a jet of water that can be drunk from directly.

Water fountains are also commonly called drinking fountains. Less commonly, water fountain can sometimes be used to refer to a water cooler.

The term water fountain should not be confused with the kind of fountain that’s mainly for decoration, such as in city plazas, though of course such fountains also use water (but not for drinking).