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
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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
Leonard David, Space.com, 21 Apr. 2026
With Lake County’s long farming history, there’s a century of phosphorus buildup in sediments at many lakes, which can be released in the summer and cause toxic algae blooms.
—Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
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
The variety of organic molecules observed suggests that some chemical diversity has been preserved in ancient Martian sediments despite billions of years of diagenesis (the process by which sediment turns to rock) and radiation exposure.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 21 Apr. 2026
With Lake County’s long farming history, there’s a century of phosphorus buildup in sediments at many lakes, which can be released in the summer and cause toxic algae blooms.
—Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sediment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sediment
Verb
-
Dante Pride, who represented Evans in his lawsuit that the city settled last year, did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment on Evans’ behalf.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Ultimately, Hulk settled all litigation against Gawker Media for $31 million in November 2016, per ABC News.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The best topsoil is loose and loamy, consisting of equal amounts of sand, silt, and clay.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The cemetery overlooks the scenic Loess Hills, created by windblown silt deposits that reach up to 200 feet high (about 61 meters) and line the river along the Iowa border for 200 miles (322 kilometers).—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Such a search through Google’s location data begins with a haystack of hundreds of millions of phones and enables the police to filter out a few that could lead to a suspect.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Top opaque wood fencing with a top portion that is spaced to allow some light to filter through to keep your privacy fence from making your backyard feel too closed in.—
Kristin Hohenadel,
The Spruce,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
King is especially distraught in the season finale after learning that she'll be deposed again in a lawsuit against the ER — a suit and deposition that has burdened the doctor all season.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2026
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This design reduces intergrain resistance and enables more uniform lithium deposition, helping suppress dendrite formation.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Your loan processor must track the paper trail of any large deposits, say more than a paycheck.—
Jeff Lazerson,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
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After completing the deal, First Citizens’ first goal was to get bankers working with their clients in a bid to stabilize the loss of deposits, rather than worry about integration, Cadieux said.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
One such innovative solution is to utilize the natural ability of microbes to precipitate minerals.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Hi-hats and snares appear in fragmentary bursts, icy synths precipitate and evaporate, and Zel slithers wryly in the cut.—
Olivier Lafontant,
Pitchfork,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sediment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sediment. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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