as in creeks
a natural body of running water smaller than a river
small rivulets trickled down the side of the cliff
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Recent Examples of rivulets
Even after the leaks were plugged with cement, rivulets of oil persisted for months, and the oil spill’s ecological and cultural impacts lasted even longer.
—
Jeffrey Marlow, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
Hot stones are added, one by one, as the air inside gets heavier, the heat searing the nose and the throat, the sweat starting in rivulets that turn into streams as the smell gets more intense, the heartbeat swells, the mind races.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2026
The elaborate network of rainfall, rivulets of ditches, and control structures became a sort of language for Van Lent.
—Michael Adno, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2026
The expanse of a cookie, its crumbly craters and molten rivulets, is a playground for the pastry chef.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 4 Dec. 2025
Perhaps those latent rivulets reside in machines.
—Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
In some places, the rivulets had merged to form streams that had to be jumped across.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
Nestled amid the rugged desert mountains of the state of Oaxaca stand two sheer cliffs that seem to melt, in yellow rivulets, into the valley below.
—Kyle Valenta, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 July 2021
Jeffrey Marlow, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
Hot stones are added, one by one, as the air inside gets heavier, the heat searing the nose and the throat, the sweat starting in rivulets that turn into streams as the smell gets more intense, the heartbeat swells, the mind races.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2026
The elaborate network of rainfall, rivulets of ditches, and control structures became a sort of language for Van Lent.
—Michael Adno, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2026
The expanse of a cookie, its crumbly craters and molten rivulets, is a playground for the pastry chef.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 4 Dec. 2025
Perhaps those latent rivulets reside in machines.
—Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
In some places, the rivulets had merged to form streams that had to be jumped across.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
Nestled amid the rugged desert mountains of the state of Oaxaca stand two sheer cliffs that seem to melt, in yellow rivulets, into the valley below.
—Kyle Valenta, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 July 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rivulets
Noun
-
On the other side of the barrier island, maze-like salt marshes and winding tidal creeks funnel into the Intracoastal Waterway, providing the ideal environment to see bottlenose dolphins, loggerhead sea turtles, and abundant shorebirds.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Starting about the time hardwood trees sprout buds and baby foliage (or shortly after ice out in the North), crappies gather near the mouths of creeks, shallow bays, manmade canals, and marinas.—
Cory Schmidt,
Outdoor Life,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Insects drone over running brooks.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The property, which features lush greenery and old-growth trees set among babbling brooks and water features, is open to the public, and the gardens have served as a popular spot for weddings over the decades in addition to an annual Mother’s Day tea that Weston said attracts hundreds each year.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rivulets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rivulets. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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