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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of silt
Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 14 Oct. 2025
This provides evidence of two separate earthquake events happening in quick succession—as the first earthquake was settling a layer of silt over the ocean floor, a second shock sent another avalanche of sand over top.
—Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 10 Oct. 2025
Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 22 Dec. 2022
Throws that made octo-contact were also more likely to be accomplished with a specific set of arms, and the projectile was more likely to be silt.
—Emma Marris, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for silt
Noun
Once river water enters the top of the lake, its slower-moving waters allow silts and other particles to drop to the bottom, and the water that exits the lake and flows further down the river is cleaner.
—Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 14 Oct. 2025
This provides evidence of two separate earthquake events happening in quick succession—as the first earthquake was settling a layer of silt over the ocean floor, a second shock sent another avalanche of sand over top.
—Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
Cathedral-like sandstone canyons were resurrected, and sunlight reached the silt-clogged floors for the first time in generations.
—Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 22 Dec. 2022
Throws that made octo-contact were also more likely to be accomplished with a specific set of arms, and the projectile was more likely to be silt.
—Emma Marris, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for silt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silt
Noun
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Hektoria rests on an ice plain, where sliding ice glides over flat sediment on the seabed.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
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Plumbers recommend flushing a hot water heater once a year to clear out the sediment.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Purple blossoms furred the redbuds along his driveway; here and there beneath them were sprays of yellow forsythia.—
Jamie Quatro,
Harper's Magazine,
2 Aug. 2024
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The foils can also retract, meaning that the boats aren't at risk of marine growth, which could otherwise fur them up.—
Julia Buckley,
CNN,
28 July 2022
Noun
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The tunnel will traverse multiple difficult subsoil layers: a surface of historical and active landfill materials, including spoil from London tunneling projects and decades-old power station fly ash, a thick layer of alluvium composed of silts, clays, and peat, and, finally, highly variable chalk.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 July 2025
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At some point, alluvium buried the entire tusk, possibly from major storm flooding.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
14 Aug. 2024
Verb
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Construction fines at the site For Smith, the biggest concern was flooding in his backyard.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Nov. 2025
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Theories range from the Fitzgerald striking a shoal and suffering bottom damage to flooding through the freighter's hatch covers, which filled the ship with water and sank it, to rogue waves, to structural flaws in the ship that the 1975 storm made deadly.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Many fatalities were linked to the collapse of yaodongs—homes carved into loess hillsides.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
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When blown by the wind, these sediments are referred to as loess.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes,
2 Sep. 2021
Verb
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Waiting until the last minute can lead to gridlock on the road for you and obstruct first responders trying to get to the active fire zone.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2025
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While the state Assembly derailed that initial plan, forfeiting the grant, the push for a practical remedy to gridlock never died.—
DJ Gribbin,
New York Daily News,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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She has been swamped with offers, but this one felt right.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
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Back in classes, arranging speech therapy for Jayden and planning a service at the seminary chapel, Rochelle was swamped.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In Benghazi’s Ganfuda Detention Center, dozens of young women and girls crowd the floor of a warehouse strewn with foam mattresses and the plastic-bag detritus of an itinerant life.—
Mick Krever,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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Among the sea of urban detritus that seemed to stretch for miles, the line itself could not be seen from the IDF outpost.—
Matt Bradley,
NBC news,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Silt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silt. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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