Definition of sediment
1
:the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid
2
:material deposited by water, wind, or glaciers
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Examples of sediment in a Sentence
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
Recent Examples of sediment from the Web
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The process contaminated soils, sediments, groundwater and surface water with hazardous chemicals.
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Ehlers successfully advocated for a law that authorized spending $270 million over five years to clean up sediments in the Great Lakes and oversaw the United States’ first major statement on science policy in more than 50 years.
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Near Jean Lafitte, for example, the state is planning to spend $1.3 billion diverting 30,000 acres of sediment-laden water to build new marshland.
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That stirred up minerals and other sediment that settled in the pipes over time.
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However, even cypress should decompose on 10,000 years time scales, unless they are preserved in low oxygen sediments that inhibit bacteria from decomposing the wood.
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But skeptics suggested that the 1500 tools and other artifacts could have drifted downward over time in the sandy sediments or that animals or termites had disrupted the layers.
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His work was largely ignored until 1976, when deep-sea sediment samples confirmed that all of the major climate shifts in the last 450,000 years do in fact correspond to the cycles mapped out by Milankovitch.
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According to the technicians, every time the water goes above 5,000 cubic feet per second, a massive amount of sediment is pushed through, drastically changing everything.
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.
Origin and Etymology of sediment
Latin sedimentum settling, from sedēre to sit, sink down
Other Geology Terms
anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale
Definition of sediment
transitive verb
:to deposit as sediment
intransitive verb
1
:to settle to the bottom in a liquid
2
:to deposit sediment
Examples of sediment in a Sentence
the water flowing into the reservoir is sedimenting silt faster than was originally expected
First Known Use of sediment
1859
Other Geology Terms
anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale
SEDIMENT Defined for English Language Learners
sediment
play
noun
Definition of sediment for English Language Learners
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: material that sinks to the bottom of a liquid
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: material (such as stones and sand) that is carried into water by water, wind, etc.
SEDIMENT Defined for Kids
sediment
play
noun
sed·i·ment
\
ˈse-də-mənt
\
Definition of sediment for Students
1
:the material from a liquid that settles to the bottom
2
:material (as stones and sand) carried onto land or into water by water, wind, or a glacier
Medical Dictionary
medical Definition of sediment
:the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid
medical Definition of sediment
:to deposit as sediment
- the synaptosomes were sedimented by centrifugation
intransitive verb
1
:to settle to the bottom in a liquid
- let the red blood cells sediment for 30 minutes
2
:to deposit sediment
Learn More about sediment
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See words that rhyme with sediment Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sediment Spanish Central: Translation of sediment Nglish: Translation of sediment for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sediment for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sediment
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