confluence

noun con·flu·ence \ ˈkän-ˌflü-ən(t)s , kən-ˈflü- \

Definition of confluence

1 :a coming or flowing together, meeting, or gathering at one point

a happy confluence of weather and scenery

a confluence of cultures

2 a :the flowing together of two or more streams

b :the place of meeting of two streams

the Mississippi River's confluence with the Missouri River

c :the combined stream formed by conjunction

See confluence defined for English-language learners

See confluence defined for kids

Examples of confluence in a Sentence

the Mississippi River's confluence with the Missouri River
a happy confluence of beautiful weather and spectacular scenery during our vacation

Recent Examples of confluence from the Web

Given this confluence of variables, suburban students tend to enter school with the early literacy and numeracy skills necessary to learn the prescribed curriculum.

— jack schneider, The Atlantic, "The Urban-School Stigma," 25 Aug. 2017
This massive floodplain in Saginaw County is found at the confluence of the Flint, Shiawassee, Bad, Cass and Tittabawassee rivers as well as Swan Creek.

— michigan wildlife council, Detroit Free Press, "Exploring Michigan’s Wetland Wonders," 21 Aug. 2017
At the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, Cairo most recently has been plagued by a public housing scandal, with federal authorities setting up plans to relocate residents to other communities.

— rick pearson, chicagotribune.com, "Pawar picks Cairo mayor as running mate," 15 Aug. 2017
The three-story, Queen Anne-style home was built in 1887 and sits on a 200-foot-high bluff in the downtown neighborhood, overlooking the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas rivers and the West Bottoms.

— cynthia billhartz gregorian, kansascity, "See a Quality Hill mansion restored to 19th-century glory and 21st-century amenities," 11 Aug. 2017
To me, the biggest social confluence of our time between social justice and sports has occurred within baseball.

— cathy free, PEOPLE.com, "South Side Chicago Coach Helps At-Risk Kids Excel On and Off the Baseball Field: ‘We’re on the Same Team’," 20 July 2017
The Crooked River Arm in and around the Jefferson County day use area past Cove Palisades Resort and Marina to the confluence of the Deschutes River Arm.

— allan brettman, OregonLive.com, "Authorities lift health advisory for most of Lake Billy Chinook," 18 July 2017
Elysian Park sits on and around a rocky promontory near the confluence of the Los Angeles River and Arroyo Seco, a vantage point that offers commanding views of downtown and the Eastside.

— scott garner, latimes.com, "Neighborhood Spotlight: Elysian Park is part of the infield but plays with a laid-back style," 14 July 2017
This winter, after a 16-year wait, federal environmental officials released a plan to clean a 10-mile (16-kilometer) stretch near its confluence with the Columbia River in a project that will take decades of work and billions of dollars.

— gillian flaccus, The Christian Science Monitor, "Portland river once shunned by swimmers enjoys rapid renaissance," 14 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'confluence.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The joining of rivers—as at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, where the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers flow together spectacularly—was the original meaning of confluence, and in its later meanings we still hear a strong echo of the physical merging of waters. So today we can speak of a confluence of events, a confluence of interests, a confluence of cultures, and so on, from which something important often emerges.