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
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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
Anna Mazurek, AFAR Media, 26 Sep. 2025
Sitting on a tributary of the Nile, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, took some 15 years to built and the Ethiopians see it as a key to their future economic prosperity.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 24 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
Don’t miss the Côa Museum, one of the country’s largest, perched at the mouth of the Côa River, a tributary of the Douro.
—Anna Mazurek, AFAR Media, 26 Sep. 2025
Sitting on a tributary of the Nile, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, took some 15 years to built and the Ethiopians see it as a key to their future economic prosperity.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tributary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tributary
Noun
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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
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The Russell-Brasstown Scenic Byway is a looped route, one that meanders through the Chattahoochee National Forest and encircles the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Yasuda ordered his subordinate, Lieutenant Colonel Tatsusaburo Suzuki, to prepare a report on the feasibility of a uranium project in Japan.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
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Indeed, allowing men but not women to have multiple spouses is clearly unequal and entwined with patriarchal ideology that positions women as subordinate or inferior to men.—
David W. Lawson,
The Conversation,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Two days later, her car was found on Avery’s lot in a thicket of branches with a disconnected battery.—
Nicole Briese,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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With less than one week until Election Day, Virginia residents will head to the ballot box to cast their votes for three statewide offices that will determine whether the executive branch remains under Republican control.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Adding to the anxiety is the fact that reported bayou deaths in the Houston area have more than doubled compared to 2023, with at least 25 deaths being confirmed so far this year by Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, the medical examiner.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
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The manor’s theme, which has included both a bayou and an asylum, typically changes annually.—
Laura Kiniry,
Popular Science,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Chipotle in April paid $20,000 to settle allegations an assistant manager in Kansas repeatedly harassed a Muslim employee for wearing a hijab and even attempted to remove it.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
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The plaintiff’s testimony is at the heart of her $40 million lawsuit against former assistant principal Ebony Parker, who allegedly ignored several warnings about the boy who shot Zwerner.—
Gary Grumbach,
NBC news,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Evidence suggests the closer your feeder is to a window, the less likely that bird crashes will be fatal.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
24 Oct. 2025
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Brassicas Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and other plants in the brassica family are heavy feeders that require a lot of nutrients to grow.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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These findings, when considered alongside observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), provide complementary evidence for understanding this comet's unusual chemistry.—
Darryl Seligman,
Space.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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However, on a young team like the Red Sox, Schwarber would need to be a complementary piece to Anthony and the other young, talented players in Boston.—
Aaliyan Mohammed,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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As various ancient sources recount, after Achilles is killed by Paris, the Greeks resort to deception.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
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In the midst of tragedy came a small offering of knowledge from an unsuspecting source.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tributary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tributary. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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