SILT Synonyms: 71 Similar and Opposite Words

silt 1 of 2

noun

Definition of silt

as in sediment

soil made chiefly of loose sedimentary material that is carried by flowing water and that sinks to the bottom of a river, pond, etc.

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silt

2 of 2

verb

as in to fur

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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 silt

Noun

Its bottom is lined with soft, soupy silt that makes traditional bridge pillars impossible. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026 What survivors have said At least 279 hydropower workers have been rescued or managed to trudge their way out of the mud and silt riddled tunnels. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026

Verb

Historically, the region itself was created by the natural flooding and silting processes of the Mississippi River, which flows across the breadth of the state before spilling into the Gulf of America. — David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025 Its primary purpose is not to control people or accumulate power, except perhaps incrementally, in the form of a kind of silting up of canonical importance. — Literary Hub, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for silt

Recent Examples of Synonyms for silt

Noun

In August, a massive avalanche of rock and glacial ice tore down a mountainside in the Himalayas, unleashing a torrent of water, rock and sediment that thundered toward communities along Nepal's Trishuli River at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour.

— Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Nov. 2026
Tourists’ access has been curtailed in order to protect the engravings, and researchers believe that clearing the years of sediment that has settled in the caves may reveal more art.

— News Desk, Artforum, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of sediment

Verb

Measure the area to figure out how many panels and furring strips are needed.

— Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 14 Apr. 2026
Use shims to keep the panels level and apply a construction adhesive such as Liquid Nails to fasten them to the furring strips.

— Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 14 Apr. 2026

Definition of fur

Verb

Storms in late October and early November sent torrents of water through normally small or dry creeks that overflowed their banks and flooded local communities.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2026
For George Young, the sandbags could help prevent a familiar problem — water flooding his garage.

— Da Lin, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of flood

Noun

Spanning parts of Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, the area is best known for its rolling green hills, shaped over thousands of years by windblown sediment called loess.

— Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 21 Sep. 2026
The base played a critical role in national defense, housing a command bunker, planted deep into the regional loess, that was designed to withstand a nuclear blast.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026

Definition of loess

Verb

If the court were to gridlock 4-4, the case would proceed in state court and potentially return to the justices again later.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
But the debate is more about whether the opposition coalition can split the vote, strip Hichilema’s UPND of its working legislative majority, and threaten to gridlock reforms.

— Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of gridlock

Noun

The composition slips in and out of deliberation, a tableau of buckets and plates concentrating energy, which the lighter detritus then loosens and disperses.

— Kristian Vistrup Madsen, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026
Competitive hackles aside, the ranks of the independent advisory boutique now seem like so much ego detritus, a horse painting above a fireplace.

— semafor.com, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of detritus

Verb

Seasonal rains swamped tens of thousands of tents across the coastal enclave, where nearly two million Palestinians are displaced, according to the United Nations.

— Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 12 Nov. 2026
Parts of Miami-Dade and Broward are under a coastal flood warning Wednesday as king tides continue to swamp South Florida’s coastline.

— Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of swamp

Browse Nearby Words

silly

silt

silted

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Style

“Silt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silt. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of silt

noun

verb

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