river

noun, often attributive riv·er \ ˈri-vər \

Updated on: 17 May 2018

Definition of river

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

— up the river

: to or in prison

was sent up the river

See river defined for English-language learners

See river defined for kids

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 of river from the Web

From there, visitors can travel north along the bluff that overlooks the river as well as the hills of Portland and Glastonbury.

— peter marteka, courant.com, "Hikers, Are You Up To The Challenge Of These 14 Trails?," 15 May 2018
Though the East Verde is called a river, anywhere else but the Southwest it would be called a creek.

— azcentral, "Into the water," 15 May 2018
According to Morse, Prestwick gave the village easements around a river to protect the water quality going into Lac La Belle.

— evan frank, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Prestwick expected to move its corporate headquarters near La Belle Golf Course," 14 May 2018
The relentlessly crawling river of ice picked up loose bluestones along the way, eventually depositing them on the Salisbury Plain once the planet warmed again and the ice melted away.

— Fox News, "Stonehenge secret revealed? Scientist suggests new theory about ancient site," 14 May 2018
The camera zooms out from above until the canoes and kayaks and kids on shore are just red and white dots on the side of the slate-blue river.

— gloria liu, Outside Online, "Penn State Axed Its Outdoor Club. What Happened?," 14 May 2018
Three ships traveled up the river under cover of darkness.

— rachel kaufman, Smithsonian, "Pilot, Thinker, Soldier, Spy: The Epic “Timeless” Season Finale Twofer," 13 May 2018
The city’s decrepit waterworks has largely broken down, creating the cruel irony of a lack of water in a country replete with rain forests and raging rivers.

— ryan dube, WSJ, "The Lights Have Gone Out in Caracas," 13 May 2018
Witnesses said people at the river became concerned about a child in the water.

— joe robertson, kansascity, "Two men go into Kansas River to save child; now one man missing | The Kansas City Star," 13 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of river

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

RIVER Defined for English Language Learners

river

noun

Definition of river for English Language Learners

: a large natural flow of water that crosses an area of land and goes into an ocean, a lake, etc.
: a large flow of something

RIVER Defined for Kids

river

noun riv·er \ ˈri-vər \

Definition of river for Students

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

2 : a large stream or flow

a river of mud

Learn More about river

See words that rhyme with river Spanish Central: Translation of river Nglish: Translation of river for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of river for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about river

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river

Definition of river

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RIVER Defined for English Language Learners

river

Definition of river for English Language Learners

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river

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