sluice

1 of 2

noun

ˈslüs 

1

a

: an artificial passage for water (as in a millstream) fitted with a valve or gate for stopping or regulating flow

b

: a body of water pent up behind a floodgate

2

: a dock gate : floodgate

3

a

: a stream flowing through a floodgate

b

: a channel to drain or carry off surplus water

4

: a long inclined trough usually on the ground

especially : such a contrivance paved usually with riffles to hold quicksilver for catching gold

sluice

2 of 2

verb

sluiced; sluicing

transitive verb

1

: to draw off by or through a sluice

2

a

: to wash with or in water running through or from a sluice

b

: to drench with a sudden flow : flush

3

: to transport (logs) in a sluice

intransitive verb

: to pour as if from a sluice

Synonyms

Verb

• rinse
• wash
• flush
• flood

Examples of sluice in a Sentence

Verb

he sluiced the gutters with lots of water in order to make sure they were clear

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The focus is on the Bangs Lake outfall control structure, which is currently maintained by manually making adjustments to the sluice gate. —Gregory Harutunian, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2025

Still, on May 4, India lowered sluice gates at the Baglihar dam, effectively reducing the downstream flow to Pakistan through the Chenab River by up to 90%, according to the Hindustan Times. —Chad De Guzman, Time, 7 May 2025

Verb

Once sluiced for minerals during the mining boom, the river today is all about recreation. —AFAR Media, 23 May 2025

Stream beds were exempt from vegetation clearing, an attempt to keep powerful winter flows from sluicing sediment into the lake. —Calmatters, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English sluse, alteration of scluse, from Anglo-French escluse, from Late Latin exclusa, from Latin, feminine of exclusus, past participle of excludere to exclude

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1596, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for sluice

• coos
• cruce
• deuce
• douce
• duce
• goose
• hoose
• juice
• loose
• mousse
• noose
• nous

Kids Definition

sluice

1 of 2 noun

ˈslüs 

1

: an artificial passage for water with a gate for controlling its flow or changing its direction

2

: a body of water held back by a gate or a stream flowing through a gate

3

: a device (as a floodgate) for controlling the flow of water

4

: a channel that carries off surplus water

5

: a long sloping trough (as for floating logs to a sawmill)

sluice

2 of 2 verb

sluiced; sluicing

1

: to draw off by or through a sluice

2

a

: to wash with or in water running through or from a sluice

b

: drench, flush