swimming pool

Backyard swimming pool Olympic-size swimming pool and starting blocks at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre used for the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia

A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a man-made structure designed to hold water to enable swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built above ground (as a freestanding construction or as part of a building or other larger structure), and may be found as a feature aboard ships. In-ground pools are most commonly constructed from materials such as concrete, natural stone, metal, plastic, composite or fiberglass, and may follow a standardized size, the largest of which is the Olympic-size swimming pool, or be of a custom shape.