inlet

noun

in·​let ˈin-ˌlet 

-lət

1

a

: a bay or recess in the shore of a sea, lake, or river

also : creek

b

: a narrow water passage between peninsulas or through a barrier island leading to a bay or lagoon

2

: a way of entering

especially : an opening for intake

Synonyms

• arm
• bay
• bight
• cove
• creek [chiefly British]
• embayment
• estuary
• firth
• fjord
• fiord
• gulf
• loch [Scottish]

Examples of inlet in a Sentence

The coast is dotted with tiny inlets.

went fishing in the quiet inlets of the coast

Recent Examples on the Web

Sandwiched between Daytona Beach and Cocoa Beach (childhood home of pro surfer Kelly Slater), New Smyrna Beach is blessed with long beach breaks and a river inlet with stone jetties that create what may be the most bankable surf in all of Florida. —Graham Averill, Outside Online, 28 July 2024

The contractor is expected to install new tiles, pool and depth markings, rope anchors, covers and wall inlets, a device to direct water flow. —Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 31 May 2024

Buried inside a slab of ancient mudstone in what was once an inlet leading into a lake bounded by Mars’ Jezero Crater, NASA’s Perseverance rover’s sample number 25 is potentially a Martian astrobiological game-changer. —Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2024

The whales feast all summer long, and only then embark on a 6,000-mile journey south to Mexico, where females calve and nurse their young in the warm and protected inlets along the Baja Peninsula. —Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

from its letting water in

First Known Use

circa 1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

inlet

noun

in·​let ˈin-ˌlet 

-lət

1

: a small or narrow bay

2

: an opening for intake especially of fluids

Medical Definition

inlet

noun

in·​let ˈin-ˌlet, -lət 

: the upper opening of a bodily cavity

especially : that of the cavity of the true pelvis bounded by the pelvic brim