1. underground tanks or pits for collecting sewage and waste water
2. places or situations regarded as corrupt or morally degraded
Usage: figurative

Examples

• The old house had two cesspools that needed to be pumped regularly.
• Health inspectors found several illegal cesspools in the neighborhood.
• The city council called the gambling district a cesspool of crime.
• Many rural homes still rely on cesspools for waste management.
• Environmental groups worry that leaking cesspools contaminate groundwater.
• The journalist described the political system as riddled with cesspools of corruption.