river

noun

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

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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.

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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 study found that nearly 70,000 visitors came to the White River in a year and that the river's total economic impact was valued at $20 million. — CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 For much of the 20th century, Renault’s factory occupied the site, employing thousands of workers and sending cars out by road and river. — Sarah Belmont For Artnews, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2026 Chemical fertilizers and animal waste contain nitrates and phosphorus that can get washed with rain or snowmelt into the state’s web of rivers. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 Communities and businesses across the country depend on the forests, rivers, trails, parks, and open spaces that draw people outdoors. — Mary Beth Laughton, Time, 14 Oct. 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
  • The combined sewage-overflow tanks that are supposed to divert sewage from running into the canal won’t be complete until 2029 — a seven-year delay that might require parts of the canal to be re-dredged again to remove the contamination.
    — Kim Velsey, Curbed, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The mother of a Miami-Dade teacher who mysteriously vanished and was later found in a canal walked into a courtroom on Friday, seeking an end to the years-long court proceedings.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of canal
Noun
  • There, an ominous cloud settled over Holden’s every word, with a stream of samples that made the beats feel textured and lush.
    — Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Buffering is an act of efficiency; holding portions of files in a temporary memory store lets your laptop stream without disruption.
    — Nitish Pahwa, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of stream
Noun
  • The Budhi Gandaki flows into the Trishuli River and is a key waterway near Kathmandu, the capital.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Iran is stepping up attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf in an effort to restore its leverage over the critical waterway.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of waterway
Noun
  • The weather service issued flood watches through Monday afternoon for a large swath of Utah, southeast Idaho, and northern and central Arizona, including the Grand Canyon.
    — JAIMIE DING, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Those EVs will have to compete not only with longtime sales leader Tesla, but also with the flood of Chinese EVs that, sooner or later, will land in the US.
    — John Voelcker, The Verge, 12 Oct. 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
  • Amid a national migration crisis, four young Cuban artists go against the tide and choose to stay.
    — Addie Morfoot, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Though Kansas hasn’t elected a Democratic senator in almost a century, the tide may be turning.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of tide

Phrases Containing river

Browse Nearby Words

riven
river
riverbank
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Cite this Entry

“River.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/river. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on river

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about river

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