rills

noun

plural of rill
as in creeks
a natural body of running water smaller than a river there are a few tiny fish in the rill

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 rills What had looked like a dense palm grove from above is actually a lush network of wheat, zucchini, mint, and tomato plots fed by a network of rills that carry water from a natural pool to the crops below. — Christopher Garis, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rills
  1. creeks
  2. brooks
  3. rivulets
Noun
  • Over 10 rivers, creeks and washes in Arizona and southwest Colorado have now surged past major flood stage — the highest level — and a few have set new record crests.
    — Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Arizona's Yavapai County and the community of Camp Verde ordered evacuations of residents living near swollen rivers and creeks.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of creeks
Noun
  • The surrounding 23 acres the estate sits on are full of trails ripe for exploring, too, and take visitors past historic stone walls, cemeteries, and babbling brooks.
    — Blair West, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Insects drone over running brooks.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
Definition of brooks
Noun
  • The brush was flattened and rivulets of water ran back toward the sound, which was now miraculously some 100 yards away down a sloping bank.
    — Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Madly sentient guts spill from the sitter’s back in swollen rivulets.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of rivulets

Browse Nearby Words

rill
rills
rim
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rills. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of abandon

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All