silt

1 of 2

noun

1
: loose sedimentary material with rock particles usually ¹/₂₀ millimeter or less in diameter
also : soil containing 80 percent or more of such silt and less than 12 percent of clay
2
: a deposit of sediment (as by a river)
silty adjective

silt

2 of 2

verb

silted; silting; silts

intransitive verb

: to become choked or obstructed with silt
often used with up
the channel silted up

transitive verb

: to choke, fill, cover, or obstruct with silt or mud
siltation noun

Examples of silt in a Sentence

Verb The entrance to the creek had silted shut.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Narrowing the field One candidate was found just 500 meters off the coast of Rhode Island (designated RI 2394), 14 meters below the surface and buried in nearly 250 years' worth of sediment and silt. ArsTechnica, 24 June 2025 Seven dump trucks hauled 92 tons of mud and silt from Loveland Pass, which was buried Sunday by a 100-foot-wide and 20-foot-deep landslide, according to a news release from the department. Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 18 June 2025
Verb
Historically, the region itself was created by the natural flooding and silting processes of the Mississippi River, which flows across the breadth of the state before spilling into the Gulf of America. David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025 For his big plan, Yu can use them along with geographic information system (GIS) and satellite imagery to track China’s landscape changes as urbanization spreads, as estuaries and deltas silt up, as water starts to move differently across landscapes and cityscapes. Erica Gies, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2018 See All Example Sentences for silt

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English cylte, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian dialect sylt beach flooded at high tide; akin to Old High German sulza salt marsh, Old English sealt salt

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1799, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of silt was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Silt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silt. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

silt

1 of 2 noun
1
: very small particles left as sediment from water
also : a soil made up mostly of silt with little clay
2
: a deposit of sediment (as by a river)
silty adjective

silt

2 of 2 verb
: to make or become choked, blocked, filled, or covered with silt
the river channel silted up

More from Merriam-Webster on silt

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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