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 Danube delta's Sulina Channel is too shallow for the largest vessels, and dozens of ships often wait days to enter or leave the river. — ABC News, 3 Nov. 2026 Officials in New Mexico’s San Juan County, where there have been a number of evacuations, said the major rivers, including the San Juan, Animas and La Plata, all have crested. — Brittany Peterson, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026 In 1966, the banks of the Arno river burst, causing the most destructive flood Florence had ever experienced. — Bella Webb, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2026 Around 20,000 people in northwestern New Mexico’s San Juan County received alerts to evacuate areas within a half mile of the Animas, La Plata and San Juan rivers, county spokesperson Devin Neeley told CNN Monday. — Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 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
  • There were no signs that the shark had been feeding regularly during its monthlong stay in the canal, and falling water temperatures could pose additional health risks, officials say.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Musk already has this via Larry, a close business associate who bankrolled the Twitter buy, but writing an eleven-figure check has a funny way of prying open the canal further.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of canal
Noun
  • Indian-language music accounts for around 70% of what the service’s customers in India stream, and for more than two years the company has been building standalone launches for major film albums, both live and on the platform.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Slightly west, Sultan-Epe lies beside a deep canyon, where a stream threads through thickets of mulberry, buckthorn, blackberry, and wild herbs—another improbable pocket of green in one of Kazakhstan’s driest regions.
    — Avantika Chaturvedi, Architectural Digest, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of stream
Noun
  • Late Sunday, 15 waterways across northern Arizona and southwestern Colorado either reached or were forecast to reach major flood stage, triggering evacuations and washing out roads.
    — Washington Post, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2026
  • But last Christmas, the designer went out on an impulsive—and what would prove to be fateful—run through Paris along the Seine, the city’s famous central waterway.
    — Max Berlinger, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of waterway
Noun
  • In 1966, the banks of the Arno river burst, causing the most destructive flood Florence had ever experienced.
    — Bella Webb, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Others were evacuated from New Mexico's Rio Arriba County, where the Rio Chama was under a flood warning through Tuesday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of flood
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 rivulet
Noun
  • Much of the underlying tide of Tuesday’s elections stemmed from Americans’ growing frustration with the massive wealth and power being accrued by billionaires, of which Musk is the most notable example.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Polls have consistently shown Raman is heavily favored by younger voters, who tend to vote later than older people and whose late-arriving ballots are considered likely to turn the tide in her favor.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 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 7 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on river

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about river

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