as in brook
a natural body of running water smaller than a river
there are a few tiny fish in the rill
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Recent Examples of rill
Those residents might also like to see the name of Indian Creek, another rill which traverses the county, given a new designation.
—
Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
His verses evoke sacred rivers, fertile grounds and gardens bright with sinuous rills—a lyrical world beyond the inauspicious reality of its start-point.
—Natalie Hoberman, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Earthbound telescopes saw rills or gullies that later proved to be collapsed lava tubes.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 16 July 2024
These rills form as the desiccating winds of the Sahara blow tiny bits of sand across the rock.
—Bethany Brookshire, Scientific American, 27 June 2024
Now a little rill of wavelets across the surface of the flood was the only thing that marked the river’s usual borders.
—Brooke Jarvis, New York Times, 31 May 2023
Over millions of years, the river and its tributaries have carved a fanlike rill of dramatic canyons out of the ancient sediments of the Mesa Verde tablelands, a maze of vertiginous stone walls.
—Jeff Wise, Discover Magazine, 19 May 2010
Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
His verses evoke sacred rivers, fertile grounds and gardens bright with sinuous rills—a lyrical world beyond the inauspicious reality of its start-point.
—Natalie Hoberman, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Earthbound telescopes saw rills or gullies that later proved to be collapsed lava tubes.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 16 July 2024
These rills form as the desiccating winds of the Sahara blow tiny bits of sand across the rock.
—Bethany Brookshire, Scientific American, 27 June 2024
Now a little rill of wavelets across the surface of the flood was the only thing that marked the river’s usual borders.
—Brooke Jarvis, New York Times, 31 May 2023
Over millions of years, the river and its tributaries have carved a fanlike rill of dramatic canyons out of the ancient sediments of the Mesa Verde tablelands, a maze of vertiginous stone walls.
—Jeff Wise, Discover Magazine, 19 May 2010
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rill
Noun
-
Meanwhile, the charming house with a small brook off to the side, stands waiting to be occupied with some, but not a lot, of work required.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
-
Each treatment villa creates a moment—opening up onto a bespoke, private slice of babbling brook and lush jungle, the sounds of which perfectly underscore any massage.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Campers and hikers should avoid streams or creeks.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
30 May 2026
-
After a search for Airen that involved multiple agencies, his body was found in a creek bed in Bates County.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rill. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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