variants
also slews
or slues
as in marshes
spongy land saturated or partially covered with water
the land for miles around the lake is strewn with ponds, sloughs, and mudflats
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in shuffles
to move heavily or clumsily
the unpleasant task of sloughing through the muck to retrieve the ball
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also sluffs
as in sheds
to cast (a natural bodily covering or appendage) aside
the snake is sloughing its old skin
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 sloughs
New Atlas, 26 Jan. 2026
Explore a white-sand beach and the sinks, swales, and sloughs found within the 2,500-acre Suwannee River Water Management District.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 5 Jan. 2026
They are found in a wide variety of habitats but prefer oak-cabbage palm hammocks, freshwater marshes and sloughs, pine flatwoods, and more open agricultural areas.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
If something happens to the water, land or the sloughs that hold the wild rice beds, the tribe has nowhere else to go, Tsosie explained.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Find a general area where ducks seem to be frequenting and then mark the public sloughs and potholes that can’t be seen from the road.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 6 Aug. 2025
Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 12 Jan. 2026
The stand collar is ideal for keeping the chill out, too, while a water-resistant fabric sloughs off rain and snow with ease.
—Michelle Tchea, Travel + Leisure, 12 Jan. 2026
This option by Neogen utilizes a three layer design, part of which is from 100% cotton mesh, that manually sloughs away dead skin cells.
—Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2025
Noun
Hyperia then automatically slews to the target and performs an operation called astrometry – measuring the precise positions of stars to double-check its accuracy.
—New Atlas, 26 Jan. 2026
Explore a white-sand beach and the sinks, swales, and sloughs found within the 2,500-acre Suwannee River Water Management District.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 5 Jan. 2026
They are found in a wide variety of habitats but prefer oak-cabbage palm hammocks, freshwater marshes and sloughs, pine flatwoods, and more open agricultural areas.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
If something happens to the water, land or the sloughs that hold the wild rice beds, the tribe has nowhere else to go, Tsosie explained.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Find a general area where ducks seem to be frequenting and then mark the public sloughs and potholes that can’t be seen from the road.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 6 Aug. 2025
Verb
Primarily, there are beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) courtesy of lipo hydroxy acid (LHA), a deep-penetrating chemical exfoliant that gently sloughs off old, dead cells to reveal brighter, fresher skin.
—Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 12 Jan. 2026
The stand collar is ideal for keeping the chill out, too, while a water-resistant fabric sloughs off rain and snow with ease.
—Michelle Tchea, Travel + Leisure, 12 Jan. 2026
This option by Neogen utilizes a three layer design, part of which is from 100% cotton mesh, that manually sloughs away dead skin cells.
—Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sloughs
Noun
-
Wetlands in the area are also home to Everglades snail kites, which hunt for apple snails in freshwater marshes, and other rare species that once inhabited vast wet prairies drained for highways and neighborhoods.—
Jenny Staletovich,
Miami Herald,
24 Jan. 2026
-
But most tule marshes in California are now lost to development.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The developer plans to preserve and incorporate those natural areas and wetlands into the site plan via landscaping, storm water features and other features.—
Bridget Fogarty,
jsonline.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
As part of a biosphere reserve, the river wetlands offer super birdwatching, while Rancho Mil Ecotourism Ranch offers full hookup RV camping and guest cottages.—
Joe Yogerst,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The crab-eating frog (Fejervarya cancrivora) lives in mangroves, coastal swamps and estuaries across Southeast Asia.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The bald cypress is native to much of the Gulf Coast and across riverine swamps of the Deep South.—
Connor Giffin,
Louisville Courier Journal,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sloughs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sloughs. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
