river

noun

riv·​er ˈri-vər 

often attributive

1

a

: a natural stream of water of usually considerable volume

b

: watercourse

2

a

: something resembling a river

a river of lava

b

rivers plural : large or overwhelming quantities

drank rivers of coffee

see also:

up the river

Examples of river in a Sentence

The raft is too small to use on this part of the river.

Rivers of mud flowed down the hillside.

Recent Examples on the Web

One local leader says that 67 indigenous communities drink water and eat fish from rivers within Gran Tierra’s claims. —Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 27 May 2026

More than fifty meters tall, the monument rises abruptly above the banks of the river Ancre, a tributary of the Somme. —Literary Hub, 27 May 2026

The design weaves the histories of Judge and Fells through the symbolic imagery of healing plants found along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, where their fates intertwine. —Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026

Smallmouth bass already feast on humpback chub in the river’s upper section, where agencies spend millions of dollars annually to keep the intruders in check. —ABC News, 26 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English rivere, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *riparia, from Latin, feminine of riparius riparian, from ripa bank, shore; perhaps akin to Greek ereipein to tear down

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing river

• atmospheric river
• down the river
• mouth of the river
• river blindness
• river dolphin
• river duck
• river horse
• river mouth
• river otter
• river's mouth
• sell down the river
• up the river

Rhymes for river

• giver
• liver
• livre
• quiver
• shiver
• sliver
• caregiver
• deliver
• downriver
• lawgiver
• upriver

Kids Definition

river

noun

riv·​er ˈriv-ər 

1

: a natural stream of water larger than a brook or creek

2

: a large stream or flow

the jet stream is a river of air

Etymology

Middle English rivere "river," from early French rivere (same meaning), derived from Latin riparius "related to or located on the bank of a river," from ripa "shore"