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
  • Fishing boats were stranded ashore, infrastructure was damaged and homes were surrounded by sediment left by receding waters.
    — Yacob Herin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Initially, Republican officials in several rural Maryland jurisdictions, under the banner of the Clean Chesapeake Coalition, challenged the deal, as they had long been aggrieved by sediment overflow events from the at-capacity dam in Cecil County.
    — Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of sediment
Noun
  • As the waters receded in some areas, many families returned to homes buried under thick layers of silt, adding to the challenges of recovery.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • 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
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
  • At this unassuming spot in Jardim Botânico, Sudbrack skillfully uses a traditional clay oven to draw remarkable flavors from the simplest of seasonal, fresh, and local ingredients.
    — Mikael Castro, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Locations included the port city of Essaouira and Aït Benhaddou, known for its earthen clay fortresses, in Morocco, Sicily’s Favignana and Castello di Santa Caterina, and Nestor’s Cave in Greece for the Cyclops sequence.
    — Brittany Anas, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of clay

Browse Nearby Words

alluvions
alluvium
alluviums
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Alluvium.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alluvium. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on alluvium

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about alluvium

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