as in bay
a part of a body of water that extends beyond the general shoreline
the city sits on the shores of a deep estuary where the Hudson River meets the Atlantic Ocean
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Recent Examples of estuary
The great Amazon in its north drains large areas as does the Parana-River Plate watershed to its south that reaches the Atlantic in the estuary between Argentina and Uruguay, The San Francisco flows north for hundreds of miles before hooking a right and dropping to the Atlantic.
—
Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
The bridge connects parts of the region fragmented by the undulating sea coast and river estuaries, and is the only main route towards Moldova's border crossings to the west.
—Yuliia Dysa, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
On the tower’s other side, boundless flats of sand and cracked mud spread to the horizon across what was, prior to the river’s damming a century ago, one of Earth’s great green estuaries.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
The systems transport water through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, an estuary that provides critical habitat to fish and wildlife including salmon and the delta smelt.
—CBS News, 6 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for estuary
Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
The bridge connects parts of the region fragmented by the undulating sea coast and river estuaries, and is the only main route towards Moldova's border crossings to the west.
—Yuliia Dysa, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
On the tower’s other side, boundless flats of sand and cracked mud spread to the horizon across what was, prior to the river’s damming a century ago, one of Earth’s great green estuaries.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
The systems transport water through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, an estuary that provides critical habitat to fish and wildlife including salmon and the delta smelt.
—CBS News, 6 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for estuary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for estuary
Noun
-
These wooden party places grace the bay, with stilts planted in the bottom.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
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Asher's wife had told the Coast Guard that her husband did not typicaly wear a life vest while out on the bay, where his boat was found, and also could not swim.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Bleary-eyed coverage that kicks off before sunrise in the States, with gusts off the firth and cut lines that can swallow a top 10 in an hour.—
Jenny Catlin,
New York Times,
9 July 2025
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On the distant horizon was a cluster of faint street lights, a small town hunkered on the far side of the firth.—
Douglas Stuart,
The New Yorker,
6 Jan. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Estuary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/estuary. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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