Synonyms of bayou

bayou

noun

ˈbī-(ˌ)ü 

as in tributary

a stream that flows into a larger body of water

a small creek that is the bayou of a larger stream

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tributary
• feeder
• affluent
• branch
• influent
• confluent
• creek
• backwater
• headwater
• brook
• rivulet
• rill
• source
• streamlet
• brooklet
• run
• fountainhead
• headstream
• head

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• effluent
• distributary

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bayou

The sensation is of walking into a bayou junk shop that’s been abandoned and left to flower, and within and around these verdant crannies, Tsimring conjures a literal electric storm. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 May 2026

The event, rain or shine, features more than 22,000 pounds of fresh, live crawfish delivered from Louisiana’s bayou country and cooked on-site for a Cajun feast. — Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 May 2026

Shirley was buried in a segregated graveyard under live oaks, on a bayou. — Jesmyn Ward, Vanity Fair, 21 Apr. 2026

Here the lodge’s rangers transport us on boats, searching for hippos who give themselves away by clusters of bubbles rising to the surface of the bayou. — Lucie Grace, TheWeek, 17 Apr. 2026