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
ArsTechnica, 24 June 2025
Narrowing the field One candidate was found just 500 meters off the coast of Rhode Island (designated RI 2394), 14 meters below the surface and buried in nearly 250 years' worth of sediment and silt.
—ArsTechnica, 24 June 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
Any parts of the hull that weren't quickly buried by silt have long since decomposed in the water.
—ArsTechnica, 24 June 2025
Narrowing the field One candidate was found just 500 meters off the coast of Rhode Island (designated RI 2394), 14 meters below the surface and buried in nearly 250 years' worth of sediment and silt.
—ArsTechnica, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for silt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silt
Noun
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Fertilizers, manure, sediment and septic system leakage from the surrounding watershed can seep into the lake during rainfall, introducing nutrients like phosphorous and nitrogen into the water.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
18 Aug. 2025
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The discovery was made in August on private property in the Sandy Creek area of northwest Travis County after recent storms and flooding swept away sediment and brush, according to officials, per ABC News.—
Toria Sheffield,
People.com,
16 Aug. 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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Purple blossoms furred the redbuds along his driveway; here and there beneath them were sprays of yellow forsythia.—
Jamie Quatro,
Harper's Magazine,
21 June 2024
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 Survivor alums flooded the comments section on Kay's post to share their well wishes to the couple.—
Lauren Huff Published,
EW.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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In fact, last year the U.S. Supreme Court refused to rule on the issue in a case brought by Texas ranchers whose property had been effectively taken from them by a Texas transportation project that flooded their land.—
Andrew Wimer,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 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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Soils here are particularly complex, featuring chalk, sand, gravel, clay, loess, quartzite and slate.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes,
18 Mar. 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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Elkin was spared the deadly destruction wrought in other parts of the state, but the Yadkin River rose 22 feet, inundating homes and businesses, leaving roads underwater and swamping pickleball courts.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
24 July 2025
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But perhaps the biggest hit of Monroe’s tightening of its purse strings is to its nationally leading program to raise roads ahead of sea level rise, which is already swamping a handful of Keys neighborhoods and expected to inundate up to 90 of them in the next few decades alone.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
18 July 2025
Noun
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Beyond the gate there’s a floating coagulation of detritus. ¶ Sebastopol The occasional aberration forms in the air.—
Ariel Saramandi,
The Dial,
29 July 2025
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Throwing that detritus away is the third-most expensive component of sweeping.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Silt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silt. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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