estuary
noun
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A partly enclosed coastal body of water in which river water is mixed with seawater is called an estuary. An estuary is thus defined by salinity rather than geography. Many coastal features designated by other names are in fact estuaries (for instance, Chesapeake Bay). Some of the oldest continuous civilizations have flourished in estuarine environments (for example, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the Nile delta, and the Ganges delta). Cities such as London (Thames River), New York (Hudson River), and Montreal (St. Lawrence River) developed on estuaries and became important commercial centers.
Synonyms
Examples of estuary in a Sentence
Constant Méheut Oksana Parafeniuk, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Both state and federal water projects pull water out of the beleaguered estuary and ship it south, primarily to reservoirs for farms in the San Joaquin Valley.
—Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 8 Apr. 2024
There is no debate that crime on the estuary has fallen since that acute period 8 months ago.
—Will McCarthy, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
Tributaries and estuaries can create a bottleneck for the swimming juveniles, which provides those studying them an opportunity to catch, count, and release the eels to get an idea of population trends that can inform larger scientific studies.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2024
Today, there are 25 sites, including the Milwaukee estuary, remaining on the U.S. side.
—Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2024
The taste is described on Monsoon Chocolate's website as fudge and salted plum, made with a distinctive salt harvested from an estuary where the Sonoran Desert meets the Sea of Cortez.
—Endia Fontanez, The Arizona Republic, 23 Jan. 2024
The reason was an earth wall—known as a bund, built more than half a century ago where the estuary of the local river meets the sea—that blocked off incoming seawater to transform the saltwater wetlands into a ponded freshwater pasture for cattle farming.
—Bianca Nogrady, WIRED, 19 Mar. 2024
Overlooking Boston Harbor, the museum has a stunning view of the estuary.
—Lauren Sloss, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'estuary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Estuary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/estuary. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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estuary
noun
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