alluvium

noun

Definition of alluviumnext
as in colluvium

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of alluvium What used to be open water was heading towards alluvium, and oblivion. — Rob Crossan, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Mar. 2026 At some point, alluvium buried the entire tusk, possibly from major storm flooding. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2024 The tusk was covered with alluvium, possibly during a major flooding event, MDEQ said. — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2024 These waters carried debris called alluvium, that makes up the Delta's fertile soil. — Richard Mason, Arkansas Online, 23 May 2021 Scott traces their advent to a few hundred years later, in a constellation of cities that sprang up on the Mesopotamian alluvium around what was then the northern end of the Persian Gulf. — Tim Flannery, The New York Review of Books, 12 Mar. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alluvium
  1. sediment
  2. silt
  3. loess
  4. marl
  5. detritus
  6. clay
Noun
  • Unlike Lake Michigan, debris and garbage settle along the riverbed and near the banks, forcing divers to search through sediment and obstacles while currents continue to move beneath the surface.
    — Darius Johnson, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Using mechanisms scientists are still trying to understand, the cilia wave around to generate fast-moving vortices of water that circulate oxygen to the coral’s outer tissues, in addition to helping keep the colonies free of sediment.
    — Marlowe Starling, Quanta Magazine, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of sediment
Noun
  • Operating continuously beneath complex sub-river geology of riverbed silt and sand, the shield machine operated without intermediate access shafts.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 30 July 2026
  • The water drew back from the house, left a thick, stinking silt across the floor.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
Definition of silt
Noun
  • The base played a critical role in national defense, housing a command bunker, planted deep into the regional loess, that was designed to withstand a nuclear blast.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
  • The Rhône's predominantly granite soils versus Walla Walla's basalt bedrock, riverbed cobbles, and windblown loess.
    — Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of loess
Noun
  • Freshman Ben Smith became the first NCAA outdoor champion for Oregon in the shot put since Dean Crouser (1982) with a marl of 69-0 1/2.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 June 2026
  • Its striking blue-green hues and clarity—allowing visibility of 20 to 30 feet—are due to minimal organic runoff and calcium-rich marl sediment from its glacial origins.
    — Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 21 May 2026
Definition of marl
Noun
  • The dirty sea near the city often carried this kind of detritus to the shore.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • In the next round of Count the Rice, the rice is mixed into a large box full of paper, styrofoam, and other detritus.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 July 2026
Definition of detritus
Noun
  • Modern comforts are discreet and well-judged, such as the freestanding clay bathtubs in some suites.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Aug. 2026
  • According to Nameberry, the name Sienna refers to the orange-red color of the clay in the Italian city of Siena.
    — Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of clay

Browse Nearby Words

alluvions
alluvium
alluviums
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Cite this Entry

“Alluvium.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alluvium. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on alluvium

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about alluvium

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