1
as in streams
a passageway for water
A fallen tree branch was floating down the river.
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2
as in floods
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
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Recent Examples of rivers
On low-lying coral islands with no rivers, no mineral wealth, and no fertile soil to speak of, the sea was everything.
—
Baz Dreisinger, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
Surrounded on three sides by water (two rivers plus the Atlantic Ocean), boating, sailing, and yachting are all popular activities here.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 21 June 2026
Flash flooding in the South The intense rainfall in the Southeast overnight Thursday, June 18, and into Friday, June 19, created dangerous flooding and sent several rivers to record highs.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 20 June 2026
In true old-school thumper fashion, the 250 Dual looks perfectly happy climbing hills, crossing rivers, and tackling technical trails.
—Utkarsh Sood
june 20, New Atlas, 20 June 2026
To comply with the order, wranglers drove more than 100,000 cattle from the island when the rivers were low enough.
—ABC News, 19 June 2026
There are also a number of lakes, ponds and major rivers that are great for catching a variety of fish.
—Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2026
Native to eastern North America, wild mountain laurel plants grow en masse along woodland margins, rivers and streambanks, and sloping hillsides.
—Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 13 June 2026
Alonzo Hartman arrived in the valley on Christmas Day 1872, riding into a blizzard to take over a cow camp near the confluence of the Tomichi and Gunnison rivers.
—Kevin Strong, CBS News, 12 June 2026
Baz Dreisinger, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
Surrounded on three sides by water (two rivers plus the Atlantic Ocean), boating, sailing, and yachting are all popular activities here.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 21 June 2026
Flash flooding in the South The intense rainfall in the Southeast overnight Thursday, June 18, and into Friday, June 19, created dangerous flooding and sent several rivers to record highs.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 20 June 2026
In true old-school thumper fashion, the 250 Dual looks perfectly happy climbing hills, crossing rivers, and tackling technical trails.
—Utkarsh Sood
june 20, New Atlas, 20 June 2026
To comply with the order, wranglers drove more than 100,000 cattle from the island when the rivers were low enough.
—ABC News, 19 June 2026
There are also a number of lakes, ponds and major rivers that are great for catching a variety of fish.
—Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2026
Native to eastern North America, wild mountain laurel plants grow en masse along woodland margins, rivers and streambanks, and sloping hillsides.
—Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 13 June 2026
Alonzo Hartman arrived in the valley on Christmas Day 1872, riding into a blizzard to take over a cow camp near the confluence of the Tomichi and Gunnison rivers.
—Kevin Strong, CBS News, 12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rivers
Noun
-
The First Alert Weather team will continue monitoring area creeks, canals, rivers and other bodies of water for lingering high water issues and will provide updates if conditions change.—
Steven Rosenbaum,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
-
Posing for pictures along Amsterdam's famous canals, Zendaya rocked a bold-shoulder military jacket complete with tails, which featured ribbon embroidery along the front.—
Hannah Malach,
InStyle,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Extreme floods that once swamped coastal communities only rarely are becoming far more common as climate change caused by humans pushes sea levels higher, according to new research.—
Alexa St. John,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
-
Gulf Coast states already dealing with massive floods are bracing for even more extreme weather as the first tropical storm of the season could form as early as Tuesday night.—
Kenton Gewecke,
ABC News,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Cooling water is often discharged into local waterways, introducing dangerous levels of heat and chemical additives.—
Liz Krueger,
New York Daily News,
20 June 2026
-
The industry has warned tolls would break with international maritime law and set a dangerous precedent that could be mirrored in other waterways.—
Alex Longley,
Fortune,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
His uniform and scalp were lined with glistening rivulets of oil, water, soot and sweat.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
-
In this piercing account of the American Dream in tatters, the magnitude of that dimension feels appropriate, echoing the currents of betrayal, fear and death that course through the film like rivulets of blood.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
At the same time, there are riparian natives — those that grow along watercourses — which may need regular attention in terms of water needs for many years after planting.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rivers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rivers. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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