river

noun, often attributive

riv·er | \ ˈri-vər

Definition of river

1a : a natural stream of water of usually considerable volume

b : watercourse

2a : 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

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

Today, along with Chicago which is famed for dyeing its river green since 1962, these cities still offer some of the biggest celebrations dedicated to the man who supposedly drove the snakes out of Ireland. — Jill Gleeson, Country Living, "Here's the Real History of St Patrick's Day," 15 Mar. 2019 Corporations are spraying pesticides that harm the soil, spearheading irrigation projects that devastate river beds, and decreasing the number of natural resources available to communities that rely upon them. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "A Brazilian Modeling Superstar Makes a Life-Changing Journey Into the Amazon," 7 Mar. 2019 The river boss was all over the place, trying to find the key log. — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, "The Lost Art of Floating Logs Down the River," 16 Feb. 2019 The area, which includes the world’s tallest mountain peaks, has glaciers that feed into river systems including the Indus, Ganges, Yangtze, Irrawaddy and Mekong. — Binaj Gurubacharya, The Seattle Times, "Third of Himalayan glaciers can no longer be saved: study," 6 Feb. 2019 Dry river mouths gape among dunes the height of cathedrals. — Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, "Going Off-Grid in Namibia," 21 Dec. 2018 For cruise fans, Aqua Expeditions has four-night river trips between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh aboard the deluxe Aqua Mekong (20 suites, floor-to-ceiling windows, outdoor pool). — Klara Glowczewska, Town & Country, "The Best Places to Travel in 2019," 7 Dec. 2018 That’s far more water than was captured by stations measuring river flow, showing that much of the water either did not drain through major channels or entered those channels downstream of the last measuring station. — Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, "GPS tracked the land sink under the weight of Hurricane Harvey’s rain," 20 Sep. 2018 Art lovers should also drive another 10 minutes to the Brandywine River Museum of Art, which has unbeatable river views and a superb collection of American artists. — Juliet Izon, Good Housekeeping, "5 Cheap Road Trips to Take When You Really Need to Get Out of Town," 25 July 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.