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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of rivers
Renewable energy creates local energy-infrastructure jobs and is fueled by free in-state sunshine, wind, and rivers.
—
Anshul Gupta, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
When the snow melts, the rivers come alive.
—Jen Murphy, Outside, 7 Jan. 2026
With no rivers carrying sediment into the ocean, the sea surrounding the islands is blessed with astonishing clarity.
—Henry Wismayer, Travel + Leisure, 7 Jan. 2026
The mountain snowpack functions as nature’s water bank, gradually melting to feed rivers and reservoirs through the dry months.
—Chaewon Chung
updated January 6, Sacbee.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Icy Balkans Both heavy snow and heavy rain swept through Balkan countries, swelling rivers and creating problems in traffic and disruptions in power and water supplies.
—Mike Corder, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Countries like China let their industries pollute freely, dumping chemicals into rivers, pumping toxins into the air and throwing plastics into the ocean.
—Chip Lamarca, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
Early lyrics typically referenced rivers, moonlight and the men and women whose lives depended on the land.
—Carolina Abbott Galvão, The Dial, 6 Jan. 2026
But what about unequivocally good things, like trees or rivers?
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Anshul Gupta, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
When the snow melts, the rivers come alive.
—Jen Murphy, Outside, 7 Jan. 2026
With no rivers carrying sediment into the ocean, the sea surrounding the islands is blessed with astonishing clarity.
—Henry Wismayer, Travel + Leisure, 7 Jan. 2026
The mountain snowpack functions as nature’s water bank, gradually melting to feed rivers and reservoirs through the dry months.
—Chaewon Chung
updated January 6, Sacbee.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Icy Balkans Both heavy snow and heavy rain swept through Balkan countries, swelling rivers and creating problems in traffic and disruptions in power and water supplies.
—Mike Corder, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Countries like China let their industries pollute freely, dumping chemicals into rivers, pumping toxins into the air and throwing plastics into the ocean.
—Chip Lamarca, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
Early lyrics typically referenced rivers, moonlight and the men and women whose lives depended on the land.
—Carolina Abbott Galvão, The Dial, 6 Jan. 2026
But what about unequivocally good things, like trees or rivers?
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rivers
Noun
-
Only accessible by boat or plane, the park consists of canals, rainforests, and lagoons that are home to manatees, jaguars, and countless other wildlife species.—
Lydia Price,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The canals and pond, which were aggregately 193,000 cubic meters in volume and appear to have no practical purpose, would have taken 255,000 days of labor by a single individual.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In Cebu city, cars swept away by floods have piled into streets and houses.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Those floods killed at least 35 people, officials told AFP.—
Rajeev Tyagi,
ABC News,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The waterways of the Columbia River basin, full of dams that corral salmon in tight spaces, are just too easy of a hunting ground for the sea lions to spurn.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The state also has an above average number of polluted waterways and more coal ash ponds — small, toxic water bodies near coal plants where poisonous refuse is discarded — than any other state.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The expanse of a cookie, its crumbly craters and molten rivulets, is a playground for the pastry chef.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Several rivulets flowed lazily through the debris.—
Daniel A. Gross,
New Yorker,
27 Aug. 2025
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 9 Jan. 2026.
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