| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="windows-1252"?> |
<!-- XBRL Document Created with Wdesk from Workiva --> |
<!-- Copyright 2021 Workiva --> |
<!-- r:48993521-ac1d-454d-b789-4a1768dc378f,g:990ce5d6-7f98-4ecc-8306-75c886254b19 --> |
<link:linkbase xmlns:link="http://www.xbrl.org/2003/linkbase" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xbrldt="http://xbrl.org/2005/xbrldt" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.xbrl.org/2003/linkbase http://www.xbrl.org/2003/xbrl-linkbase-2003-12-31.xsd"> |
| <link:arcroleRef arcroleURI="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/all" xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="http://www.xbrl.org/2005/xbrldt-2005.xsd#all"/> |
| <link:arcroleRef arcroleURI="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/hypercube-dimension" xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="http://www.xbrl.org/2005/xbrldt-2005.xsd#hypercube-dimension"/> |
| <link:arcroleRef arcroleURI="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/dimension-default" xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="http://www.xbrl.org/2005/xbrldt-2005.xsd#dimension-default"/> |
| <link:arcroleRef arcroleURI="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/dimension-domain" xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="http://www.xbrl.org/2005/xbrldt-2005.xsd#dimension-domain"/> |
| <link:arcroleRef arcroleURI="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/domain-member" xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="http://www.xbrl.org/2005/xbrldt-2005.xsd#domain-member"/> |
| <link:roleRef roleURI="http://amwater.com/role/DocumentandEntityInformationDocument" xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="awk-20210225.xsd#DocumentandEntityInformationDocument"/> |
| <link:definitionLink xlink:role="http://amwater.com/role/DocumentandEntityInformationDocument" xlink:type="extended" id="i62d5ca747d2640f6a8ed913d0806d6fa_DocumentandEntityInformationDocument"> |
| | <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:label="loc_dei_DocumentInformationLineItems_07bc0be3-1067-4663-8c3d-a437a9de1a96" xlink:href="https://xbrl.sec.gov/dei/2019/dei-2019-01-31.xsd#dei_DocumentInformationLineItems"/> |
| | <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:label="loc_dei_DocumentPeriodEndDate_5e97a1dd-111a-41b7-b87f-4f0fb118eace" xlink:href="https://xbrl.sec.gov/dei/2019/dei-2019-01-31.xsd#dei_DocumentPeriodEndDate"/> |
| | <link:definitionArc xlink:arcrole="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/domain-member" xlink:from="loc_dei_DocumentInformationLineItems_07bc0be3-1067-4663-8c3d-a437a9de1a96" xlink:to="loc_dei_DocumentPeriodEndDate_5e97a1dd-111a-41b7-b87f-4f0fb118eace" xlink:type="arc" order="0"/> |
| | <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:label="loc_dei_DocumentInformationTable_edac2912-01ae-4fda-9d8c-e2ac6c72abd1" xlink:href="https://xbrl.sec.gov/dei/2019/dei-2019-01-31.xsd#dei_DocumentInformationTable"/> |
| | <link:definitionArc xlink:arcrole="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/all" xlink:from="loc_dei_DocumentInformationLineItems_07bc0be3-1067-4663-8c3d-a437a9de1a96" xlink:to="loc_dei_DocumentInformationTable_edac2912-01ae-4fda-9d8c-e2ac6c72abd1" xlink:type="arc" order="1" xbrldt:closed="true" xbrldt:contextElement="segment"/> |
| | <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:label="loc_dei_DocumentInformationDocumentAxis_9dc59a31-c580-48ea-a273-160bce159f06" xlink:href="https://xbrl.sec.gov/dei/2019/dei-2019-01-31.xsd#dei_DocumentInformationDocumentAxis"/> |
| | <link:definitionArc xlink:arcrole="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/hypercube-dimension" xlink:from="loc_dei_DocumentInformationTable_edac2912-01ae-4fda-9d8c-e2ac6c72abd1" xlink:to="loc_dei_DocumentInformationDocumentAxis_9dc59a31-c580-48ea-a273-160bce159f06" xlink:type="arc" order="1"/> |
| | <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:label="loc_dei_DocumentDomain_9dc59a31-c580-48ea-a273-160bce159f06_default" xlink:href="https://xbrl.sec.gov/dei/2019/dei-2019-01-31.xsd#dei_DocumentDomain"/> |
| | <link:definitionArc xlink:arcrole="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/dimension-default" xlink:from="loc_dei_DocumentInformationDocumentAxis_9dc59a31-c580-48ea-a273-160bce159f06" xlink:to="loc_dei_DocumentDomain_9dc59a31-c580-48ea-a273-160bce159f06_default" xlink:type="arc" order="1"/> |
| | <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:label="loc_dei_DocumentDomain_7c3e3c21-6554-4981-a425-cc4501c44dfa" xlink:href="https://xbrl.sec.gov/dei/2019/dei-2019-01-31.xsd#dei_DocumentDomain"/> |
| | <link:definitionArc xlink:arcrole="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/dimension-domain" xlink:from="loc_dei_DocumentInformationDocumentAxis_9dc59a31-c580-48ea-a273-160bce159f06" xlink:to="loc_dei_DocumentDomain_7c3e3c21-6554-4981-a425-cc4501c44dfa" xlink:type="arc" order="1"/> |
| | </link:definitionLink> |
| </link:linkbase> |