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
  • Work crews remove sediment from the Eaton Dam in Pasadena in September.
    — Jenny Jarvie Follow, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
  • In 2019, researchers examining Centrosaurus bones found recent organic material and thriving microbial communities, illustrating how fossil bone can become a habitat with chemistry distinct from surrounding sediment.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of sediment
Noun
  • Neeley said the floodwaters were receding but left mud and silt, much of which has been contaminated with sewage because of failures at waste plants.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • At a final construction update held near the crossing Thursday, Robert Rock, lead landscape architect and principal designer for the crossing, explained that the soil in the area is rich in clay and silt.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of silt
Noun
  • Spanning parts of Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, the area is best known for its rolling green hills, shaped over thousands of years by windblown sediment called loess.
    — Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 21 Sep. 2026
  • 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
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 composition slips in and out of deliberation, a tableau of buckets and plates concentrating energy, which the lighter detritus then loosens and disperses.
    — Kristian Vistrup Madsen, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Competitive hackles aside, the ranks of the independent advisory boutique now seem like so much ego detritus, a horse painting above a fireplace.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of detritus
Noun
  • Whether your soil is dry, wet, sandy, or clay, find out what types of oak trees are best for your growing conditions.
    — Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Oct. 2026
  • This sand painting, however, is set in plaster, and because of rules against open flames in galleries, the incense pot at the base holds a clay fire, wafting smoke made of cotton.
    — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 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 8 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on alluvium

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about alluvium

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