as in to settle
to cause to come to rest at the bottom (as of a liquid)
the water flowing into the reservoir is sedimenting silt faster than was originally expected
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in silt
matter that settles to the bottom of a body of liquid
the sediment at the bottom of the river needs to be routinely dredged so that it doesn't interfere with barge traffic
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 sediment
Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
The team observed the octopuses launch objects and sediment several body lengths away.
—Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Sep. 2021
David Bressan, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
When Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed — killing six construction workers and sending thousands of tons of concrete and steel hurtling into the Patapsco River — Carver feared that the foundation’s nearby oyster reef would be smothered beneath the sediment and debris.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sediment
Verb
The exploration data collected to-date indicates that previous historical open pit heap leaching operations did not advance their plans to develop attractive, wide, shallow gold-silver mineralization hosted in major structural zones in the Bisbee Group sediments west of the Contention Pit.
—Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
The team observed the octopuses launch objects and sediment several body lengths away.
—Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Sep. 2021
Noun
Here the river is cutting into ancient sediments, exposing fossil tree stumps dating back some 14,300 years.
—David Bressan, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
When Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed — killing six construction workers and sending thousands of tons of concrete and steel hurtling into the Patapsco River — Carver feared that the foundation’s nearby oyster reef would be smothered beneath the sediment and debris.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sediment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sediment
Verb
-
The unexpected matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers will be settled on Sunday, June 22 in Oklahoma City.—
Vitas Carosella,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
-
Kurds make up some 10% of Iran’s population and are mostly settled along the borders with Iraq and Turkey.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN Money,
20 June 2025
Noun
-
Narrowing the field One candidate was found just 500 meters off the coast of Rhode Island (designated RI 2394), 14 meters below the surface and buried in nearly 250 years' worth of sediment and silt.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 June 2025
-
Seven dump trucks hauled 92 tons of mud and silt from Loveland Pass, which was buried Sunday by a 100-foot-wide and 20-foot-deep landslide, according to a news release from the department.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
18 June 2025
Verb
-
For example, an expert may assess whether job candidates from HBCUs are being filtered out of the talent pool.—
Janice Gassam Asare,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
Mocktails, juices, a self-serve soda station, specialty coffees, and filtered water stations round out the options.—
Paul Rubio,
AFAR Media,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
Biden’s longtime physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, is slated to appear for a deposition on July 9.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
24 June 2025
-
Quoting from Ormond’s deposition testimony, CAA states that Weinstein pressured Ormond to join him in his London hotel suite in 1994.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
24 June 2025
Noun
-
The deal adds approximately $1.5 billion in assets and a low-cost deposit base with an average cost of 1.69% to TowneBank.—
Sasirekha Subramanian,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
-
Low-cost home internet with AT&T AT&T Access is low-cost internet from AT&T Fiber for $30 a month with no equipment fees, deposits or contracts.—
Kara McGinley,
USA Today,
24 June 2025
Noun
-
When atmospheric rivers are pushed upward, the water vapor cools, condenses and precipitates.—
Amy Graff,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
-
While the faithful typically congregate in St. Peter's Square daily during the conclave, the public signal that a pontiff has been chosen precipitates a surge of observers rushing to be among the first to see the new pope in person.—
Christopher Watson,
ABC News,
8 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sediment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sediment. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share