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
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
Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2025
Because of the weir, the 220-acre lagoon can’t flow freely to the ocean and is slowly filling with silt and reeds.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for silt
Noun
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
Verb
Small towns along the French Broad River, like Marshall and Hot Springs, were severely affected, with floodwaters either leveling buildings or plastering the structures with thick mud and silt.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2025
Because of the weir, the 220-acre lagoon can’t flow freely to the ocean and is slowly filling with silt and reeds.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for silt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silt
Noun
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His skeleton is well preserved, his bones dappled with gooey-looking sediment.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
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For the new study, the researchers examined more than 130 sediment cores that record roughly 3,000 years of geological history.—
Jack Tamisiea,
Scientific American,
10 Oct. 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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Several structures are flooded.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Oct. 2025
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Bold hues are the name of the game, whether this means going for the kind of saturated, chili pepper–adjacent red that flooded the runways of labels like Ferragamo or embracing autumn’s fascination with all things deep purple, courtesy of an earrings pair that pays homage to the humble eggplant.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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When blown by the wind, these sediments are referred to as loess.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes,
2 Sep. 2021
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The windblown loess soil comprises freshwater sedimentary topsoil resting over fractured basalt subsoil.—
Michael Alberty | For The Oregonian/OregonLive,
oregonlive,
4 June 2020
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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The opening of Sylhet’s air cargo operations has also freed up space in Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), which had gotten so swamped in recent years that Bangladeshi exporters elected to use the transshipment option to fly goods out of India’s airports.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
10 Oct. 2025
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In 1999 and 2000, new offerings swamped the market's ability to absorb it, cutting off the flow of IPO proceeds to Internet companies that were meant to be the revenues of bigger tech companies.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Full fenders keep detritus and damp stuff at bay, and Tektro hydraulic brakes providing stopping power.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Oct. 2025
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No writing room can be pristine, but the detritus must not outweigh the buzzing, trembling atmosphere of solemn, serious work.—
Katie da Cunha Lewin
September 26,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Silt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silt. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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