river

noun

Definition of rivernext
1
as in canal
a passageway for water A fallen tree branch was floating down the river.

Related Words

Relevance
2
as in stream
an overwhelming flow or rush of something Jet streams can be thought of as giant rivers of air that circulate around the globe. He was overwhelmed by the river of new information that the document dump provided.

Related Words

Dissimilar 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 river The popular notion of a river of time, flowing past us, can be traced back to him. — Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026 Claire and its sister boat, the Columbia, which first launched in 1902, spent decades taking passengers from the end of Woodward Avenue to the island about 20 miles down the Detroit river, according to Historic Detroit. — Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2026 Her work takes cues from natural phenomena including the movement of rivers. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2026 Thank you, Steven, for doing your part to help our local river. — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for river
Recent Examples of Synonyms for river
  1. canal
  2. stream
  3. waterway
  4. flood
  5. rivulet
  6. tide
Noun
  • Nothing was mistaken at the inaugural Cartier Cinema Club dinner held at Venice’s Gritti Palace, where Chazelle’s La La Land was honored with dinner on the canal overlooking the Basilica della Salute.
    — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The road’s construction created a push for internal improvements in the early republic and opened the era of canal and road construction throughout the nation.
    — Abby Price, Travel + Leisure, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of canal
Noun
  • It is built around a three-stream adaptive architecture designed to provide the thrust required for high-performance flight while supporting the aircraft’s thermal and electrical demands.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
  • At a time when so much is made to disappear into the stream, this open call is an invitation to resist that disappearance.
    — Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of stream
Noun
  • The Strait of Hormuz, which remains one of the most critical strategic waterways for global trade flows, saw oil exports hit a wartime record on Monday with more than 17 million barrels daily, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC.
    — Justina Lee, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Major rainfall flooding could prompt evacuations and rescues, the weather service said, and waterways could overflow their banks.
    — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of waterway
Noun
  • The dam failed, triggering a catastrophic flood and contributing to failures at other dams downstream.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Now there’s widespread pushback against the flood of Chinese exports.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of flood
Noun
  • Madly sentient guts spill from the sitter’s back in swollen rivulets.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026
  • Our beach quickly turned into a morass of clay, cut through by dozens of fast-flowing rivulets.
    — John Todd, Outdoor Life, 9 July 2026
Definition of rivulet
Noun
  • Timing The National Weather Service said higher tides would begin Saturday but peak Monday and Tuesday, with tides topping 7 feet.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Take a breather by the beach, where days are made for lingering on golden sands, discovering hidden coves, and relaxing to the tune of the rolling Mediterranean tide.
    — Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of tide

Phrases Containing river

Browse Nearby Words

riven
river
riverbank
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“River.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/river. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on river

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about river

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 gist

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

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

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
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
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All