streambed

noun

stream·​bed ˈstrēm-ˌbed How to pronounce streambed (audio)
: the channel occupied or formerly occupied by a stream

Examples of streambed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web During the next 12 days, a team led by paleontologists from the North Dakota Geological Survey excavated the old streambed where the fossils were buried and recovered more than 20 bones from the skeleton. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2024 The streambed was orange, as if the rocks had been stained with carrot juice. Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 19 Dec. 2023 The miners unearthed the tusk from an old streambed, about 40 feet deep, at the Freedom Mine near Beulah, North Dakota. Jack Dura, Twin Cities, 8 Jan. 2024 The troop was meandering in the midday heat and descended down the bank of a dry streambed into some bad luck: a half-asleep lioness. Robert Sapolsky, Discover Magazine, 12 Nov. 2019 Chum Salmon leave freshwater for the ocean days or weeks after emerging from the streambed and return only at the end of their life, but Dolly Varden take years to make it to the sea. Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 19 Dec. 2023 The slimy looking amphibians have long lifespans -- at least 25-30 years and maybe longer -- and live under rocks in streambeds during the day, emerging at night to hunt crayfish, other small fish or insects. Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 7 Sep. 2023 Tucson’s storage facility in Avra Valley lies on an ancient streambed, which provides ideal conditions for recharging water, according to a University of Arizona article. Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 26 Aug. 2023 The only other available water on the reservation is inconsistent, running in four major streambeds that are dry most of the year. Umar Farooq, ProPublica, 7 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'streambed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of streambed was in 1857

Dictionary Entries Near streambed

Cite this Entry

“Streambed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/streambed. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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