sediment 1 of 2

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

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sediment

2 of 2

noun

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

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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
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
The sand comes from the Parnaíba and Preguiças rivers, which carry sediment from inland Brazil to the coast. Aaron Randolph, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025 Plumbers recommend flushing a hot water heater once a year to clear out the sediment. Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sediment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sediment
Verb
  • Hoover was much better in the second quarter and led TCU into the red zone, but the Horned Frogs had to settle for a 35-yard Nate McCashland field goal.
    Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Soika, a surgeon, unsuccessfully tried to book a rental car to get to Utah for a weekend trip before settling on an option that seemed straight out of Hollywood.
    JOSH FUNK, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Particles of silt and any rust from your plumbing join in.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2025
  • These silts were left behind when ancient river channels filled up or when floodwaters slowed down and gently dropped tiny particles.
    Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Automatic-translation technology, by design, filters out that surplus as noise.
    Ross Benjamin, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Like all of Jack Daniel’s whiskey, it was filtered through charcoal before barreling, part of the Lincoln County process, but only through three feet instead of the usual 10 feet according to Fletcher (there’s less corn in the mashbill, and therefore less oil to be absorbed).
    Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 9 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Skaggs’ attorneys also plan to play deposition testimony of former Angels pitcher Cam Bedrosian, who testified at Kay’s 2022 criminal trial to receiving pills from Kay.
    Sam Blum, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Future work will focus on integrating snow-deposition modeling with PV yield simulations to more accurately predict energy losses and on expanding analyses to more complex, uneven alpine terrain.
    Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Silgranit sinks can be cleaned with a mixture of dish soap and vinegar, which will need to sit for at least an hour if there are any hard water deposits before being rinsed and dried.
    Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 6 Nov. 2025
  • After an initial deposit of around $160 million by August 2019, Riaz’s company had to pay a monthly fine of $16 million.
    Rafia Zakaria, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The longer this cooling time is, the more likely the individual precipitate is to grow, according to details released by MIT.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
  • The new high-pressure acid leaching smelter will produce 66,000 tons of nickel in mixed hydroxide precipitate each year when completed, using nickel ore from Vale Indonesia’s mines.
    Yessar Rosendar, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sediment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sediment. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.

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