tributary

noun trib·u·tary \ ˈtri-byə-ˌter-ē \

|Updated on: 20 Jun 2018

Examples: tributary in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of tributary

plural tributaries

1 : a stream feeding a larger stream or a lake

2 : a ruler or state that pays tribute to a conqueror

See tributary defined for English-language learners

Examples of tributary in a Sentence

one of the river's tributaries
This stream is a tributary of the Ohio River.

Recent Examples of tributary from the Web

Dams built in neighboring Iran on its tributaries to the Tigris have also contributed to low water levels.

— Fox News, "Turkey postpones filling upstream dam on Tigris to July 1," 7 June 2018
Over the past 10 years, environmentalists have fought to remove nearly every dam on the river and its tributaries that had been blocking the paths of salmon and steelhead trying to migrate to their spawning grounds.

— jada yuan, New York Times, "Place 13 of 52: On the Water, and Off, the Rogue River in Oregon Charms," 22 May 2018
The East Verde River and its tributaries such as Ellison Creek drain water off the slopes of Arizona's Mogollon Rim.

— azcentral, "Into the water," 15 May 2018
Located on Crane Creek, this 3.3-mile-long stream is a tributary of the Indian River that was used by hunters to gain access to the mainland’s interior in the 1800s.

— amy aumick, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Explore Florida's Brevard County: B&B finds success not on the beach," 6 May 2018
And in my opinion, what Belichick did over the weekend was a tributary from that Garoppolo trade.

— peter king, SI.com, "2018 Draft: Magnets, Mayfield and the Browns’ Big Secret," 30 Apr. 2018
The world's largest pork producer, Smithfield has been involved with efforts to clean up the bay since EPA fined the company $12.6 million in 1997 for illegally dumping hog waste into a tributary.

— michael biesecker, chicagotribune.com, "Lobbyist tied to EPA chief's condo tried to influence agency," 2 June 2018
Kotlik lies on flat, marshy land along a tributary of the Yukon River about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the Bering Sea.

— Washington Post, "Police: 2 stabbed at Alaska school during break-in attempt," 14 May 2018
Michigan has chipped in millions of dollars of its own, seeking to dramatically cut a major source of fuel for the algae blooms: fertilizers that run off farmers' fields into tributaries and on to the Great Lake.

— keith matheny, Detroit Free Press, "Study: After spending billions, fertilizer runoff feeding Lake Erie algae unchanged," 26 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tributary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

A tributary was originally a person or state that owed tribute to a more powerful person or state. Ancient China, for instance, had dozens of tributary states, and the emperor would receive elephants from Siam or young girls from Korea as tribute. Just as a smaller power gave some of its wealth to a larger power, a small river contributes its waters to a larger one. A tributary can be a tiny stream, but some are immense rivers. The Missouri River, for example, could be called a tributary to the Mississippi, even though it's about 2,500 miles long and receives hundreds of tributaries itself.

First Known Use of tributary

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

tributary Synonyms

tributary

adjective

Definition of tributary

1 : paying tribute to another to acknowledge submission, to obtain protection, or to purchase peace : subject

2 : paid or owed as tribute

tributary gifts

3 : channeling material or supplies into something more inclusive : contributory

See tributary defined for kids

Recent Examples of tributary from the Web

Each tributary canyon is unique, with dramatic shapes, and vivid colors.

— jill k. robinson, San Francisco Chronicle, "Top 10 California parks: Little known wonders," 9 May 2018
Coastal fall tributary seasons: Will be announced later this spring; however, there will be no wild coho fishing in north coast tributaries this year.

— bill monroe, OregonLive.com, "Salmon seasons set for Oregon Coast, Columbia River," 13 Apr. 2018
The owners of this 10,000-acre property purchased it on an impulse, then built a house situated on the rimrock of a tributary canyon.

— wsj real estate, WSJ, "Going Up? Incline Elevators Help Hillside Homeowners," 10 Aug. 2017
At Lewis Smith, best bet is to look for striped bass making spawning runs up the tributary rivers--the fish migrate from early March to early April before returning to the depths of the lake for the rest of the year.

— frank sargeant, AL.com, "Friday Fishing Report," 15 Mar. 2018
Testing of the tributary waters that feed the lake has been scaled back; a public water quality board folded; a real-time chemical spill monitoring system in the St. Clair River shuttered through neglect and disinterest.

— keith matheny, Detroit Free Press, "Lake St. Clair: Beach closures, 'nasty stuff' in the water, a problem that doesn't get fixed," 29 Sep. 2017
But in China’s case, that pushback comes not just from the West but also from neighbors who remember the tributary system of its imperial past — or are wary of its Communist political system despite its embrace of capitalism decades ago.

— jane perlez, New York Times, "Xi Jinping Pushes China’s Global Rise Despite Friction and Fear," 22 Oct. 2017
At Lewis Smith, stripers continue the gradual move away from the dam and up into the tributary arms, particularly Rock Creek, Brushy Creek and the Sipsey River areas.

— frank sargeant, AL.com, "Friday Fishing Report," 20 Oct. 2017
Testing of the tributary waters that feed the lake has been scaled back

— keith matheny, Detroit Free Press, "Lake St. Clair: Beach closures, 'nasty stuff' in the water, a problem that doesn't get fixed," 29 Sep. 2017