flumes

noun

plural of flume
1
as in canyons
a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage hiked through the flume and into the meadow beyond it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in canals
an open man-made passageway for water built a flume next to the road for runoff

Synonyms & Similar 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 flumes Raft along 670 feet of tunnels and flumes on the Big Daddy Falls, and spin down funnels and fly up walls on the Colossal Curl. — Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 31 July 2026 Dial down the intensity on a plethora of moderate and mild flumes. — Alicia Underlee Nelson, Midwest Living, 15 July 2026 Powerful water jets propel the inner tubes up flumes and around the park giving spectacular views of the ocean. — Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flumes
  1. canyons
  2. canals
  3. ravines
  4. aqueducts
  5. gorges
  6. valleys
Noun
  • The last major blaze to sweep through the area was the 2018 Woolsey Fire, meaning brush in most of those canyons has not been cleared for about eight years.
    — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
  • By morning, firefighting aircraft were back in the air dropping water on the Bryson fire in Malibu while the sound of generators purchased by outage-weary residents and business owners buzzed through the canyons.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of canyons
Noun
  • In antiquity, Rome’s aqueducts and China’s canals and flood-control works were the pipelines of centuries of hegemony.
    — NIALL FERGUSON, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Much of it flows through the Central Arizona Project, the series of canals that run from the river to the Phoenix and Tucson areas.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of canals
Noun
  • This 150-acre Clayton County preserve sits near shopping centers and busy roads, but its trails wind through woodlands, ravines and ponds that feel worlds away from metro Atlanta.
    — Nicole Bennett, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Many more were imperiled by muddy water racing through the narrow ravines, sparking frantic rescue missions for dozens.
    — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of ravines
Noun
  • In antiquity, Rome’s aqueducts and China’s canals and flood-control works were the pipelines of centuries of hegemony.
    — NIALL FERGUSON, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Arizona faces especially large cutbacks because the CAP isn’t nearly as old as other aqueducts, giving it low-priority water rights and putting it among the first in line for cuts.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of aqueducts
Noun
  • The Ivy League college where fraternities throw parties in towering mansions and students weave between deep gorges on their way to class is being rocked over the handling of rape allegations from 2024.
    — Grey Battle, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Cliffs teeter at 1,640 feet, before tumbling down in a flurry of vineyards and walking trails to the rushing rivers and gorges of Sil and Miño.
    — Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of gorges
Noun
  • The quicker melting changes the usual flow of water through valleys and into the lake, compounding the challenges.
    — Silvia Console Battilana, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley National Park offers scenic train rides through colorful forests, open meadows, and river valleys, with special excursions during peak fall foliage season.
    — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of valleys

Browse Nearby Words

flume
flumes
flummox
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Cite this Entry

“Flumes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flumes. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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