river

noun

riv·​er ˈri-vər 

often attributive

1

a

: a natural stream of water of usually considerable volume

b

: watercourse

2

a

: something resembling a river

a river of lava

b

rivers plural : large or overwhelming quantities

drank rivers of coffee

Phrases

up the river

: to or in prison

was sent up the river

Examples of river in a Sentence

The raft is too small to use on this part of the river.

Rivers of mud flowed down the hillside.

Recent Examples on the Web

Eventually, Anaver's home came to a stop after colliding with a small hill that had a board sticking out of it a few feet away from the river, according to the AP. —Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025

The river's watershed covers 1,657 square miles, with 758 square miles in Benton, Washington and Crawford counties in Arkansas and the rest in northeast Oklahoma's Adair, Cherokee, Delaware and Sequoyah counties. —Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2025

The mountain town is set in the shadow of Mount Sopris, a towering, almost-13,000-foot peak, and it's located between two scenic rivers—the Roaring Fork and Crystal River, the latter of which is also home to the undeveloped Penny Hot Springs. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 21 Oct. 2025

Of course, no Amazon river cruise is complete without fishing for piranhas—not to eat, but to get an up-close glimpse of their colorful scales and razor-sharp teeth before returning them to the water. —Jeri Clausing, AFAR Media, 21 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English rivere, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *riparia, from Latin, feminine of riparius riparian, from ripa bank, shore; perhaps akin to Greek ereipein to tear down

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing river

• atmospheric river
• down the river
• mouth of the river
• river blindness
• river dolphin
• river duck
• river horse
• river mouth
• river otter
• river's mouth
• sell down the river

Rhymes for river

• giver
• liver
• livre
• quiver
• shiver
• sliver
• caregiver
• deliver
• downriver
• lawgiver
• upriver

Kids Definition

river

noun

riv·​er ˈriv-ər 

1

: a natural stream of water larger than a brook or creek

2

: a large stream or flow

the jet stream is a river of air

Etymology

Middle English rivere "river," from early French rivere (same meaning), derived from Latin riparius "related to or located on the bank of a river," from ripa "shore"