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
Robert Moor, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
The gold standard is loam, consisting of 20% clay, 40% silt, and 40% sand.
—Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 16 Feb. 2026
Walker Mimms, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2023
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
See All Example Sentences for silt
Noun
The sun sank back into the clouds, like a white stone falling through silt.
—Robert Moor, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
The gold standard is loam, consisting of 20% clay, 40% silt, and 40% sand.
—Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 16 Feb. 2026
Verb
All the while, the Guadalquivir River, which allowed ships into Seville, began to silt up, forcing trade southward to the coastal town of Cádiz.
—Walker Mimms, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2023
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
See All Example Sentences for silt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silt
Noun
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Decades of static storage lead to the unavoidable accumulation of heavy waxes, dense inorganic sediments, and highly corrosive hydrogen sulfide produced by sulfate-reducing bacteria — turning the bottom of the cavern into a chemical nightmare.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
28 Mar. 2026
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TreePeople, an environmental group partnering with UCLA, found that Los Angeles County produces more than 160,000 tons of clean, native sediment each year from construction projects.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
28 Mar. 2026
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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What used to be open water was heading towards alluvium, and oblivion.—
Rob Crossan,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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The American Jewish community responded to the Yom Kippur War, which killed nearly three thousand Israeli soldiers, by flooding Israel with donations; doctors and students volunteered to join the war effort.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Inside, a central ramp—which spirals upward and outward from one exhibition floor to the next—creates an open interior space, flooded with daylight that pours in through a glass dome.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Officials said the feature continued downward into the loess beneath the prehistoric site.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
9 Feb. 2026
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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
Verb
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Democrats largely oppose Trump’s efforts to seize more control over elections, and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Trump’s demands would gridlock the chamber.—
Lisa Mascaro,
Twin Cities,
10 Mar. 2026
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Such a shift would likely gridlock Washington, effectively ending the prospects for further fiscal stimulus before the 2028 presidential election.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The crash comes as some airports are already swamped with long security wait times and travel disruptions caused by the partial government shutdown.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
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Worst flooding in over 2 decades Green said the flooding was the state’s most serious since 2004, when homes and a University of Hawaii library were swamped.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The sun shines on the empty wine bottles and related detritus of last night’s debauched party.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Mar. 2026
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The area wasn’t all detritus, though.—
Holden Seidlitz,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Silt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silt. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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