sed·i·ment
ˈse-də-mənt 
1
: the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid
2
: material deposited by water, wind, or glaciers
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
Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 30 June 2025
The piece initially was unrecognizable as sediment fused with it while resting about 2.5 miles below sea level for almost nine decades.
—Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2025
Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
The team observed the octopuses launch objects and sediment several body lengths away.
—Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Sep. 2021
See All Example Sentences for sediment
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Noun
On an inner beach in Nova Scotia, layers of stone and sediment are battered by water.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 30 June 2025
The piece initially was unrecognizable as sediment fused with it while resting about 2.5 miles below sea level for almost nine decades.
—Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2025
Verb
The exploration data collected to-date indicates that previous historical open pit heap leaching operations did not advance their plans to develop attractive, wide, shallow gold-silver mineralization hosted in major structural zones in the Bisbee Group sediments west of the Contention Pit.
—Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
The team observed the octopuses launch objects and sediment several body lengths away.
—Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Sep. 2021
See All Example Sentences for sediment
Cite this Entry
“Sediment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sediment. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
sediment
1 of 2 noun
sed·i·ment
ˈsed-ə-mənt
: the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid
sediment
2 of 2 transitive verb
sed·i·ment
-ˌment
: to deposit as sediment
the synaptosomes were sedimented by centrifugation
1
: to settle to the bottom in a liquid
let the red blood cells sediment for 30 minutes
2
: to deposit sediment
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