1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

sediment 1 of 2

verb

ˈse-də-ˌment How to pronounce sediment (audio)
Definition of sedimentnext
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

sediment

2 of 2

noun

ˈse-də-mənt How to pronounce sediment (audio)
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
Verb
It’s really sedimented and entangled. — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 10 June 2026 The team observed the octopuses launch objects and sediment several body lengths away. — Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Sep. 2021
Noun
Bliss Mobil's 13-foot modules also come standard with a multi-stage water treatment system with dual UV filtration, sediment filtration and active carbon filtration. — New Atlas, 10 Sep. 2026 The team plans to test the cave floor’s sediment for hominin DNA to confirm their hypothesis. — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sediment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sediment
  1. settle
  2. silt
  3. filter
  4. deposition
  5. deposit
  6. precipitate
Verb
  • After the Sox scored six runs in the first inning and led 8-2 after the third, most fans settled in for a postgame concert by country music star Cole Swindell.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Gently tap pan and wiggle pan to settle batters into an even layer.
    — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of settle
Noun
  • An external pre-filter head blocks silt and large particles before water is drawn into a layer filtration structure.
    — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Its bottom is lined with soft, soupy silt that makes traditional bridge pillars impossible.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of silt
Verb
  • Putting medications down a sink or toilet deposits them directly into wastewater, where they will likely not be filtered out.
    — Sunny Linnebur, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026
  • To filter a movie about the origins of a zombie/monster epidemic through the point of view of a hapless outsider is an amusing, if rather one-note, concept.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of filter
Noun
  • The team is also exploring ways to print multiple materials during the same deposition process.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
  • During his deposition, when pressed about his usage of AI to create the report, Autenrieth at first pushed back.
    — Alyssa Spady, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of deposition
Noun
  • Institutions most active with open finance are seeing measurable lift across revenue, retention, cross-sell conversion and customer deposits.
    — Jess Turner, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
  • On the flip side, higher interest rates also mean savers may earn more money on their deposits.
    — Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of deposit
Noun
  • Acid can be used to leach elements like calcium out, then a chemical or energetic process precipitates that calcium as calcium hydroxide.
    — Scott K. Johnson, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
  • One such innovative solution is to utilize the natural ability of microbes to precipitate minerals.
    — Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
Definition of precipitate

Browse Nearby Words

sedentary
sediment
sedimented
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sediment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sediment. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on sediment

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sediment

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nemesis

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All