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
Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
If the pregnancy hormone hCG was detected, brown-red sediment would start to form in the test tube.
—thehustle.co, 20 Mar. 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 excavation needed for the restoration is expected to produce 1 million cubic yards of sediment, much of which will be clean enough to place on nearby beaches in South Oceanside and northern Carlsbad.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
If the pregnancy hormone hCG was detected, brown-red sediment would start to form in the test tube.
—thehustle.co, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sediment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sediment
Verb
-
The impossibility of his quest began to settle in.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The Southlake megachurch and its attorneys want to use someone from the American Arbitration Association or a district judge to settle the matter.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Michael McEwan and wife Heather Nakahara returned to their home in Waialua on Oahu’s North Shore over the weekend to find their kitchen counters covered in red silt.—
Audrey McAvoy,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
-
This ocean canyon heaves waves of shale and basalt, quartz and silt.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In 1995, Citizen officially called their proprietary tech the Eco-Drive and released its Eco-Drive Calibre 7878 that had the solar cell mounted underneath the dial using a non-transparent surface that allows non-visible light to filter through.—
David Szondy
March 28,
New Atlas,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The system then evaluates and refines those ideas, filtering out any that are not novel.—
Jacek Krywko,
Scientific American,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In a deposition used in the Watson trial, Carol Lynn Berseth — a co-author of the paper and Mead Johnson’s director of medical affairs for North America when the study was completed — testified that the article was peer-reviewed and that no reviewer asked for additional data.—
David Hilzenrath,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
-
In addition, the passenger in the shot-up car had originally testified at trial, then in a later deposition, that Sierra was the shooter.—
Joe Mahr,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Rabell was pressured to sign money transfers and a power of attorney document and pay a $2,000 deposit to an owner, adult protective investigator Eneida Senrra said under oath to Gardner, the Inspector General investigator.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
With Kitty's heart (and deposit) set on New York University, the pair, particularly Min Ho, still have a lot left to sort out.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
The polyester precipitates from the solvent upon cooling, and can likewise be reused.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sediment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sediment. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
