as in headwaters
a stream that flows into a larger body of water
the Amazon and its more than 1,000 known tributaries form the world's largest drainage basin
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Recent Examples of tributaries
To date, this and other restoration efforts have helped to restore oyster reefs across nearly 1,800 acres in ten different tributaries to the bay.
—
JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
The new pipeline route will cross more than 180 Lake Superior tributaries, raising environmental concerns for tribal and environmental groups.
—Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Of the more than five thousand tributaries that empty into the Great Lakes, about one in ten is infested with lampreys.
—Katie Thornton, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
These ancient, natural waterways are former tributaries of the Rio Grande left behind hundreds to thousands of years ago when the river shifted its course.
—Gabi De La Rosa, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025
Once the jaguar is secure on the floatation device, the rescue vessel carries the exhausted predator along the river — one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon — towards land.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
China’s rule over Tibet, Qinghai, and Xinjiang dates back to the Qing dynasty, which conquered some former Ming tributaries in northwestern China and Central Asia and reorganized them as new provinces.
—David C. Kang, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2025
After about two more decades of ice retreat, two tributaries to the north and south of the Alsek Glacier ceased feeding ice to the glacier, NASA reported.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Invasive blue catfish also may be hurting numbers of striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay tributaries, but that wouldn’t account for low numbers in the Hudson or Delaware rivers.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 17 Sep. 2025
JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
The new pipeline route will cross more than 180 Lake Superior tributaries, raising environmental concerns for tribal and environmental groups.
—Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Of the more than five thousand tributaries that empty into the Great Lakes, about one in ten is infested with lampreys.
—Katie Thornton, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
These ancient, natural waterways are former tributaries of the Rio Grande left behind hundreds to thousands of years ago when the river shifted its course.
—Gabi De La Rosa, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025
Once the jaguar is secure on the floatation device, the rescue vessel carries the exhausted predator along the river — one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon — towards land.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
China’s rule over Tibet, Qinghai, and Xinjiang dates back to the Qing dynasty, which conquered some former Ming tributaries in northwestern China and Central Asia and reorganized them as new provinces.
—David C. Kang, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2025
After about two more decades of ice retreat, two tributaries to the north and south of the Alsek Glacier ceased feeding ice to the glacier, NASA reported.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Invasive blue catfish also may be hurting numbers of striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay tributaries, but that wouldn’t account for low numbers in the Hudson or Delaware rivers.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tributaries
Noun
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The headwaters of the Big Thompson River snake across an emerald plain, past beaver dams and aspen groves and toward the highest peaks of the Front Range.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Biologist Fabiola ‘Fabby’ Baeza-Tarin and an unexpected team work together to protect the sparrows, their shrinking habitat and the headwaters of the Everglades.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In the six months since the bill’s last debate in parliament, more than 120,000 young adults have started smoking, claimed the letter, signed by the leaders of major hospitals, cancer charities, and branches of the National Health Service (NHS).—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Noise of trees crackling and sap hissing, branches thumping down, timber being dragged and chopped.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
On that note, the ACRC survey reported that 52% of affluents were disappointed with the options presented by luxury brands.—
Pamela N. Danziger,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Orchids are heavy feeders, and their soil alone won't provide enough nutrients for them.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Even in South Texas, where everyone uses them, feeders aren’t magic.—
Will Brantley,
Outdoor Life,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
During last month’s IMF-World Bank meetings in Washington, Barclays organized a private meeting to talk investment opportunities with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, two sources familiar with the meeting told Semafor.—
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The Miami Dolphins traded pass rusher Jaelan Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2026 third-round pick, according to league sources.—
Jeff Howe,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tributaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tributaries. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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