Synonyms of creek

creek

noun

ˈkrēk 

1

as in brook

a natural body of running water smaller than a river

the shallow creek that runs in back of our house

Synonyms & Similar Words

• brook
• stream
• canal
• rivulet
• tributary
• bayou
• rill
• streamlet
• brooklet
• runnel
• beck
• runoff
• burn
• gill
• bourn
• arroyo
• waterway
• coulee
• run
• freshet
• fresh
• channel
• slough
• wash
• watercourse
• runlet
• billabong
• race
• millrace
• cutoff
• branch
• millstream
• distributary
• affluent
• kill
• influent
• confluent
• cut
• gut

2

as in estuary

chiefly British a part of a body of water that extends beyond the general shoreline

explored many of the creeks along the Cornwall coast of England

Synonyms & Similar Words

• estuary
• bay
• cove
• loch
• firth
• inlet
• gulf
• fjord
• embayment
• bayou
• port
• bight
• arm
• harbor
• sound
• strait
• road(s)
• narrow
• roadstead
• slough
• backwater

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of creek

The rupture dumped nearly 13,000 barrels of heavy crude oil into a creek running through a rural pasture in Washington County, Kansas, about 150 miles (241 kilometers) northwest of Kansas City. — John Hanna, Chicago Tribune, 12 July 2026

Locally heavy rain will quickly reduce visibility and result in ponding of water on roadways, standing water in low lying areas, and minor flooding of creeks, streams, and areas of poor drainage. — Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 5 July 2026

In Hardin County, a juvenile died after a car overturned in a flooded creek, WAVE 3 News reported. — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 29 June 2026

The trail starts in a glade, crosses a bridge over a creek, then emerges into alpine pasture and scree surrounded by high peaks. — William Finnegan, New Yorker, 29 June 2026