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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in subordinate
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of tributary
Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
On the Columbia River and its tributaries, the party had to dig out five new canoes and then paddle them through treacherous rapids.
—Craig Fehrman, Space.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023
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
See All Example Sentences for tributary
Noun
According to a Facebook post from the Marengo Fire and Rescue District shared on Sunday, April 5, crews responded after the animal was discovered trapped along Coon Creek, a roughly 28-mile-long tributary near northern Illinois, following overnight storms that caused the waterway to overflow.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
On the Columbia River and its tributaries, the party had to dig out five new canoes and then paddle them through treacherous rapids.
—Craig Fehrman, Space.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
That salty, terminal lake had its tributary water diverted away by the city of Los Angeles, turning it into a dry salt flat.
—Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023
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
See All Example Sentences for tributary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tributary
Noun
-
That’s the headwaters of the swamp.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Now, Hall and Hall is marketing the 1,500-acre Spring Creek Ranch, a marquee holding at the headwaters of the renowned Fall River.—
David Caraccio,
Sacbee.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The previously unreported messages establish that the congressman propositioned a subordinate years before his 2024 affair with Santos-Aviles, who later died by suicide.—
Bayliss Wagner,
San Antonio Express-News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Everything should be subordinate to a general loveliness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The islands are home to a very conservative branch of Calvinism which believes deeply in the Sabbath.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
-
She’s assisted by Dakota (Whitney Peak), the film’s other, younger heroine, who at one point makes her way over a floating rooftop and rickety branches, improvising the acrobatics of survival.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Theriot, who hails from generations of Cajuns down the bayou in Terrebonne Parish, brings an impressive resume to the position.—
Beth D'Addono,
Southern Living,
4 Apr. 2026
-
On the day of our visit, the South Korean tanker SK Audace was loading cargo, hooked up to pipes so cold they were covered in a thick layer of frost despite the balmy bayou weather.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Stapleton was the Ducks’ director of player personnel and assistant general manager under Verbeek following several years as an Anaheim scout.—
Greg Beacham,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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According to the university’s website, Wang worked as an assistant research scientist in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.—
Jay Ganglani,
NBC news,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Include more than one hummingbird feeder in your yard.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Add plenty of compost during planting to give these heavy feeders a boost and ensure abundant blooms.—
Alexandra Jones,
The Spruce,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Most planes already have the complementary ADS-B Out systems that broadcast their locations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
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These investments – often referred to as intangible capital – tend to get unlocked a few years after a technology comes onto the scene, once complementary investments have been made.—
Christos Makridis,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The draft footprint itself, including both sides of the Allegheny River, can only hold a little more than a football stadium, the source said, roughly 80,00 to 90,000 people.—
Ricky Sayer,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
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Ahead of its release, Humberstone sat down with PEOPLE to discuss her source of inspiration.—
Daniela Avila,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tributary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tributary. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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