sediment

noun

sed·i·ment | \ ˈse-də-mənt

Definition of sediment

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid

2 : material deposited by water, wind, or glaciers

sediment

verb

sed·i·ment | \ ˈse-də-ˌment

sedimented; sedimenting; sediments

Definition of sediment (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to deposit as sediment

intransitive verb

1 : to settle to the bottom in a liquid

2 : to deposit sediment

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about sediment

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Synonyms & Antonyms for sediment

Synonyms: Noun

deposit, deposition, dregs, grounds, precipitate, settlings

Synonyms: Verb

lay, settle

Antonyms: Verb

raise

Examples of sediment in a Sentence

Noun

There was a layer of sediment in the bottom of the tank. the sediment at the bottom of the river needs to be routinely dredged so that it doesn't interfere with barge traffic

Verb

the water flowing into the reservoir is sedimenting silt faster than was originally expected

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The sediments at Shangchen lack volcanic minerals, which provide the gold standard for radiometric dating methods and are plentiful in Africa. — Ann Gibbons, Science | AAAS, "Our ancestors may have left Africa hundreds of thousands of years earlier than thought," 11 July 2018 So the scientists linked the climate cycles of the Northeast sediments with the accurate uranium-lead dates from the Arizona core. — Nicholas Bakalar, New York Times, "Every 202,500 Years, Earth Wanders in a New Direction," 21 May 2018 Spurs are ridges and grooves are channels, often filled with sediment. — Martina Schimitschek, sandiegouniontribune.com, "At Scripps, a seascape landscape," 5 July 2018 So the rover was directed to drive about 4 miles away to the base of Mt. Sharp, the 3-mile-high mound in the middle of Gale Crater whose layers of sediments serve as individual chapters in the geological history of Mars. — Amina Khan, latimes.com, "Curiosity rover's findings on Mars' organic molecules offer tantalizing clues in the search for life on the planet," 8 June 2018 To understand this, researchers relied on sediment cores taken from the ocean near the Wilkes Subglacial Basin, part of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Major Antarctic ice sheet shrank when it wasn’t much warmer than now," 20 Sep. 2018 In the eastern Beaufort Sea, Driscoll and his team gathered data by collecting sediment cores aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy. — Cliff Kapono, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Scripps scientists discover ancient glacier melt as source of climate cooling," 12 July 2018 The pattern of geomagnetic flips that occurred between 1.26 million and 2.12 million years ago is recorded in the magnetic minerals locked in the sediments at Shangchen. — Colin Barras, Scientific American, "Tools from China are Oldest Hint of Human Lineage Outside Africa," 11 July 2018 The wetlands were built with sediment mined from the Mississippi pumped through a pipeline to open water areas in the Barataria Basin. — Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com, "Infrastructure Week: Stressing link between coastal restoration and jobs," 18 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The cores, presented here today at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America, were captured at the farthest extent of the ash’s reach, recorded as wisps of tephra in finely sedimented, ancient mud uplifted near the ocean floor. — Paul Voosen, Science | AAAS, "Yellowstone’s massive volcano could erupt more frequently than scientists thought," 25 Oct. 2017

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