1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

floodplain

noun

Definition of floodplainnext
1
as in basin

Related Words

Relevance
2
as in grassland

Related Words

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 floodplain While the original plan was to simply renovate the existing structures, the design team pivoted during the due diligence process, McGoldrick said, citing the costs of waterproofing and rehabbing a building in the Boise River floodplain. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 12 Aug. 2026 In 2021, the Beckwourth megafire scorched more than 105,000 acres north of California’s Lake Tahoe but spared a web of lush riparian corridors on the floodplain — sites where beavers had dammed and dug and developed before the blaze hit. — Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 18 July 2026 Dozens of other residents and campers were rescued after the Black River, which flows through the area, reached a record-breaking high level, The New York Times reported, citing a Reynolds County floodplain administrator. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 11 July 2026 Everyone believes in the flood, but nobody believes their house is in the floodplain. — Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for floodplain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floodplain
  1. basin
  2. grassland
  3. canyon
  4. prairie
  5. pothole
  6. savanna
  7. gulch
  8. bottomland
Noun
  • Banisteriopsis caapi, thick, climbing, woody vine (liana) of the Malpighiaceae family, native to tropical South America and widely associated with the rainforests of the Amazon basin.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Ground beef chubs and milk fish thaw on the drain board and in the basin of the food preparation sink.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of basin
Noun
  • The move comes during one of the Mara’s busiest periods, when the annual wildebeest migration draws huge numbers of animals, tourists and conservation teams onto the grasslands.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Junon bears the brunt of Weapons’ attacks in defense of the planet, parts of Gongaga have been flooded, and the grasslands look remarkably different from above.
    — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of grassland
Noun
  • Standing on stilts near the top of the canyon, it is surrounded by brush and dirt on either side and is more than 200 feet from the nearest house north of Mulholland.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The statue was modeled after a real burro that lived in the canyon in the early 20th century.
    — Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of canyon
Noun
  • The prairies’ clayey soils and other characteristics suppress tree growth, but allow native grasses, wildflowers and other herbaceous plants to thrive.
    — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Radical Change Several decades ago, in the dry prairies of eastern Washington, Pamela Soltis and Douglas Soltis began tracking a polyploidy event.
    — Carrie Arnold Contributing, Quanta Magazine, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of prairie
Noun
  • Early pothole testing actually caused a slight structural bend in a rear swingarm.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Aug. 2026
  • She also got blasted on Fox News this week for a recent video of the mayor’s office being unable to fix a pothole.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of pothole
Noun
  • The center of the activities was a grove, within a ring of trees, considered to be one of the oldest oak savannas in the state.
    — Gregory Harutunian, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • With a glorious mane of glowing purple gas and dust, the Lion Nebula sparkles on the cosmic savanna in this new image captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of savanna
Noun
  • Plastic waste flutters and settles into gulches, catches in the fencing.
    — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026
  • Head right, and there came public land, the Shasta-Trinity National Forest with its creeks and gulches and two-bit towns like Peanut and Beegum.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 June 2026
Definition of gulch
Noun
  • Covering 3,652 acres along the Wabash River, the Wabashiki Fish and Wildlife Area stretches across prairies, bottomland forests, and wetlands restored from farmland in 2010.
    — Brian Garrido, Midwest Living, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park conserves nearly 13,000 acres of rare hardwood bottomland along the Mississippi River, including eerie bald cypress swamp.
    — CNN.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
Definition of bottomland

Browse Nearby Words

floodlit
floodplain
floodplains
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Floodplain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floodplain. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on floodplain

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about floodplain

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of churlish

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All