as in headwater
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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as in subordinate
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tributary
Time, 24 Aug. 2023
The edges of the country roads are decorated by tributary statues and banners flashing the faces of Allied soldiers who died in the fight.
—Catherine Porter, New York Times, 6 June 2023
Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 9 Sep. 2025
Following two decades of ice retreat, two tributaries to the north and south of the Alsek stopped feeding ice to the glacier.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tributary
Noun
Sometimes the killers may be Chechens maybe organized by Putin’s other feral favourite, his tributary ruler of Russia’s Chechen republic, Kadyrov.
—Time, 24 Aug. 2023
The edges of the country roads are decorated by tributary statues and banners flashing the faces of Allied soldiers who died in the fight.
—Catherine Porter, New York Times, 6 June 2023
Adjective
In November 2025, On Water Expeditions, part of World Expeditions, will launch its first sailing on the tributary.
—Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 9 Sep. 2025
Following two decades of ice retreat, two tributaries to the north and south of the Alsek stopped feeding ice to the glacier.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tributary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tributary
Noun
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Enjoy hiking trails with scenic overlooks and opportunities for paddling ⛵ and fishing near the river’s headwaters.—
Melissa Oyler,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Sep. 2025
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Ashia Wilson, a member of the Klamath Tribes who lives at the river’s headwaters, said that the week before the paddlers reached the mouth Upper Klamath Lake, the home to the endemic c’waam and koptu fish, is now too toxic to touch.—
Debra Utacia Krol,
USA Today,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Russia Has Become the Junior Partner For Moscow, the pipeline cements its subordinate role in its partnership with China.—
Ariel Cohen,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Her peer and subordinate evaluations were mixed.—
Davis Winkie,
USA Today,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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According to Joe Truzman, a senior analyst with the FDD, the Arrow Unit’s membership is drawn from multiple sources in Gaza, including police officers, operatives belonging to the Ministry of Interior’s security branches, fighters belonging to terrorist factions, and civilian volunteers.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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Cuts in those branches of HHS cascade down and damage the WTC Health Program's effectiveness, advocates say.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The restaurant is set inside a building whose interior decor, installed by the family, resembles that of a house in a bygone bayou.—
Miguel Otárola,
Denver Post,
12 Sep. 2025
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The Mississippi River, draining snowmelt from the north, was thirty degrees colder than the bayou.—
Nathaniel Rich,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Harbaugh’s journey from his start as an assistant coach with the then-Oakland Raiders to the University of San Diego to Stanford to the San Francisco 49ers to Michigan to the Chargers has been a lengthy one, following a standout career as a college and NFL quarterback, including with the Chargers.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
10 Sep. 2025
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The Sun said the video was from July 6, the day after the Euro 2024 quarter-final between France and Portugal in Hamburg where Coote was the assistant VAR.—
Ali Rampling,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Other great gardening and outdoor deals include this two-pack of hummingbird feeders, this 91-inch bird feeding station with four feeders, and the Unicook Pizza Stone that goes right on top of your outdoor grill and can withstand up to 1,450 degrees Fahrenheit.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 Sep. 2025
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That’s Step 7 of the English football pyramid, with Acle plying their trade in a regional feeder league.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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These complementary efforts of fieldwork geology and the more digital world of computer modeling, in which geochemical data, fossils and ancient tectonics are paired with Earth system models, have helped pull back the veil on our deep past.—
Peter Brannen,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
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This is reportedly the first quantum computer to be built using the standard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) chip fabrication process which is the same transistor technology used in conventional computers.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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That's part of the 'framework' agreement for TikTok, which will also include new and existing investors in its Chinese parent company ByteDance, sources told CNBC's David Faber.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
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As demand for electricity surged to power more electric devices in homes and Big Tech's boom in data centers, renewable energy has been the go-to source for the cheapest, fastest way to generate more juice.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tributary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tributary. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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