1
as in canal
a passageway for water
A fallen tree branch was floating down the river.
Synonyms & Similar 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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Lee Summit has the R-7 Aquatic Center for lap swimmers and Summit Waves for water slides, lazy rivers, and more.
—
Zuri Primos, Kansas City Star, 21 May 2025
Along with the trickling river and a dam that dates to the early Spanish missionary days, the landscape includes 65 miles of trails on more than 8,000 acres of rugged mountains, hills and valleys.
—Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025
Before the collision, the ship was sailing against the river’s tide and facing 10 mph wind.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 20 May 2025
Titan shows all the characteristics of a planet – including rivers, lakes, clouds, rain and even a salty subsurface ocean.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for river
Zuri Primos, Kansas City Star, 21 May 2025
Along with the trickling river and a dam that dates to the early Spanish missionary days, the landscape includes 65 miles of trails on more than 8,000 acres of rugged mountains, hills and valleys.
—Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025
Before the collision, the ship was sailing against the river’s tide and facing 10 mph wind.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 20 May 2025
Titan shows all the characteristics of a planet – including rivers, lakes, clouds, rain and even a salty subsurface ocean.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for river
Recent Examples of Synonyms for river
Noun
-
With around 800 miles of rivers and canals, Burgundy has the largest network of inland waterways in France.—
Rachel Howard,
Travel + Leisure,
13 May 2025
-
Under pressure, a Hong Kong company sold off its two port facilities on the canal, drawing criticism from Beijing.—
Chris Buckley,
New York Times,
13 May 2025
Noun
-
Campers can pack in water, or filter water from the seasonal stream that flows next to the campground.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2025
-
The track shot to #3 on the R&B Digital Songs chart and saw a staggering 1,400% increase in U.S. on-demand streams, according to Luminate.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
13 May 2025
Noun
-
As a bonus, the sellers are throwing in a 51-foot yacht, a Sea Ray 510 held at the nearby Corinthian Yacht Club, plus a 60-foot private slip at Pier 39 in San Francisco that makes exploring local waterways and getting back and forth to the city a breeze.—
Demetrius Simms,
Robb Report,
14 May 2025
-
All District waterways are subject to a swim ban - this means wading, too!—
Dan Gooding
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 May 2025
Noun
-
Flooding was reported in several states, including Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, and flood watches were issued Wednesday in all of them.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
-
Similarly, floods might be due to a broken pipe, but are more often caused by storms, heavy rain, and spring meltwater.—
Timothy Dale,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 May 2025
Noun
-
Younis: The Khan Younis refugee camp is a dense, gray, concrete shantytown, the black waters from sewers running in thin rivulets down the middle of alleys.—
Chris Hedges,
Harpers Magazine,
15 June 2024
-
The body meld transforms into a mind meld near the end, when each woman shoots streams of shiny water from their eyes, with the separate rivulets crashing into each other to form a floating, fiery disco ball heart.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Jason Clement, the founding partner and CEO of SFC, said that while the NHL, USA Hockey and others have done a great job in turning the tide against the participation slide, rinks in the U.S. and Canada aren’t meeting the moment just yet.—
Jason Clinkscales,
Sportico.com,
22 May 2025
-
Trump is eager to reverse the tide of Democrats routinely outraising GOP candidates and wants to maximize his own impact as president.—
Jill Colvin,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“River.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/river. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share