1
as in streams
a passageway for water
A fallen tree branch was floating down the river.
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2
as in floods
an overwhelming flow or rush of something
Jet streams can be thought of as giant rivers of air that circulate around the globe. He was overwhelmed by the river of new information that the document dump provided.
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of rivers
The country’s mighty rivers and abundant rains mean most of its electricity comes from clean hydroelectric power.
—
Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 10 Nov. 2025
The Delta stretches across northwestern Mississippi like a big fallen leaf, tucked between two rivers.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025
Munoz also questioned why corporations have more rights than rivers, mountains or oceans.
—Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 10 Nov. 2025
Many of Brazil’s 300 or so native lands are only reachable by helicopter, or by long journeys on the rivers of the Amazon Basin.
—Adriana Brasileiro, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Heavy rains have caused rivers to overflow, washing away entire communities, and have triggered landslides.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
Mars had a past where liquid water was rife on the surface, and probably spent more than the first billion years of its existence with oceans and rivers throughout its surface.
—Big Think, 6 Nov. 2025
Both are wild and scenic rivers with no dams.
—Outside, 4 Nov. 2025
As such, Bangladesh’s proposition in September 2025 to create a new institutional framework to manage water-sharing agreements with India for 14 transboundary rivers was viewed with suspicion in India.
—Pintu Kumar Mahla, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2025
Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 10 Nov. 2025
The Delta stretches across northwestern Mississippi like a big fallen leaf, tucked between two rivers.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025
Munoz also questioned why corporations have more rights than rivers, mountains or oceans.
—Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 10 Nov. 2025
Many of Brazil’s 300 or so native lands are only reachable by helicopter, or by long journeys on the rivers of the Amazon Basin.
—Adriana Brasileiro, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Heavy rains have caused rivers to overflow, washing away entire communities, and have triggered landslides.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
Mars had a past where liquid water was rife on the surface, and probably spent more than the first billion years of its existence with oceans and rivers throughout its surface.
—Big Think, 6 Nov. 2025
Both are wild and scenic rivers with no dams.
—Outside, 4 Nov. 2025
As such, Bangladesh’s proposition in September 2025 to create a new institutional framework to manage water-sharing agreements with India for 14 transboundary rivers was viewed with suspicion in India.
—Pintu Kumar Mahla, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rivers
Noun
-
Only accessible by boat or plane, the park consists of canals, rainforests, and lagoons that are home to manatees, jaguars, and countless other wildlife species.—
Lydia Price,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Nov. 2025
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The canals and pond, which were aggregately 193,000 cubic meters in volume and appear to have no practical purpose, would have taken 255,000 days of labor by a single individual.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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In Cebu city, cars swept away by floods have piled into streets and houses.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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Those floods killed at least 35 people, officials told AFP.—
Rajeev Tyagi,
ABC News,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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River cruises offer a different kind of voyage — one that trades mass tourism for meaningful exploration, steering into hidden coves, remote villages and unspoiled waterways that larger vessels simply can't reach.—
DeAnna Taylor,
USA Today,
11 Nov. 2025
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As a precaution, the district continues to advise residents to avoid contact with waterways in southwest Jefferson County, including Northern Ditch, Southern Ditch and Pond Creek, which runs down to the Salt River.—
Lillian Metzmeier,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Several rivulets flowed lazily through the debris.—
Daniel A. Gross,
New Yorker,
27 Aug. 2025
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Perhaps those latent rivulets reside in machines.—
Thomas Moynihan,
Big Think,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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At the same time, there are riparian natives — those that grow along watercourses — which may need regular attention in terms of water needs for many years after planting.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rivers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rivers. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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