sediment

noun sed·i·ment \ ˈse-də-mənt \

|Updated on: 11 Jul 2018

Examples: sediment in a Sentence

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

The basin in Louisiana is the country’s largest continuous swampland, but decades of oil and gas pipeline construction have left much of the water deoxygenated or filled with sediment and spoil that blocks the natural flow of the swamp water.

— vaughn hillyard /, NBC News, "Louisiana fisherman wait for help from Trump administration," 23 June 2018
The second study, meanwhile, draws on sediment samples from the deep ocean off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to infer the strength of the current going back well over a thousand years.

— chris mooney, BostonGlobe.com, "Atlantic Ocean circulation hasn’t been this sluggish in 1,000 years. What that means for New England," 11 Apr. 2018
The second study, meanwhile, draws on sediment samples from the deep ocean off Cape Hatteras, N.C., to infer the strength of the current going back well over a thousand years.

— chris mooney, chicagotribune.com, "Studies say Atlantic Ocean's circulation slowing dramatically, increasing climate change fears," 11 Apr. 2018
After Hurricane Ike hit Texas in 2008, state regulators collected 85 sediment samples to measure the contamination; more than a dozen violations were identified and cleanups were carried out, according to a state review.

— Time, "'Nothing Short of Catastrophic.' Hurricane Harvey's Toxic Impact Worse Than Publicly Reported, Records Show," 22 Mar. 2018
After Hurricane Ike hit Texas in 2008, state regulators collected 85 sediment samples to measure the contamination; more than a dozen violations were identified and cleanups were carried out, according to a state review.

— OrlandoSentinel.com, "Hurricane Harvey's toxic impact deeper than public told," 22 Mar. 2018
After Hurricane Ike hit Texas in 2008, state regulators collected 85 sediment samples to measure the contamination; more than a dozen violations were identified and cleanups were carried out, according to a state review.

— CBS News, "Hurricane Harvey's toxic impact deeper than public told," 22 Mar. 2018
Some of the glaciers that are in the most peril are sliding on sheets of water or sediment.

— sophie weiner, Popular Mechanics, "Geoengineered Glaciers Could Help Slow Rising Seas," 16 Mar. 2018
The National Weather Service in Marquette said in a Tweet Monday night that satellite imagery shows sediment from the heavy rainfall flowing from rivers and streams into Lake Superior.

— Detroit Free Press, "What we know now about flooding in Upper Peninsula," 19 June 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1547

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

sediment Synonyms

Synonyms

deposit, deposition, dregs, grounds, precipitate, settlings;

Related Words

lees;

ooze, silt, sludge;

dross, slag, waste;

Other Geology Terms

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

sediment

verb sed·i·ment \ ˈse-də-ˌment \

Definition of sediment

sedimented; sedimenting; sediments

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

Recent Examples of sediment from the Web

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