riv·er
| \ ˈri-vər
\
\
Definition of river
1a
: a natural stream of water of usually considerable volume
b
: watercourse
2a
: something resembling a river
a river of lava
b
rivers plural
: large or overwhelming quantities
drank rivers of coffee
up the river
: to or in prison
was sent up the river
Examples of river in a Sentence
The raft is too small to use on this part of the river.
Rivers of mud flowed down the hillside.
Recent Examples on the Web
Oscar Serratos-Lozano, who according to police works for Sam Pool Finishes, was arrested Thursday after a paddle boarder spotted blue material running down the cliffs where the river meets Lake Erie. — Cory Shaffer, cleveland.com, "Rocky River police arrest Michigan contractor accused of illegally dumping swimming pool waste into river," 2 Sep. 2019 The massive storm surge turned streets into rushing rivers, the tops of palms poking out, their fronds bending in the extreme wind and rain. — Author: Jasper Ward, Anthony Faiola, Anchorage Daily News, "‘Bahamas is presently at war’: Slow-moving Dorian wreaks devastation across island nation," 2 Sep. 2019 The Polk County, Oregon, Sheriff’s Office said Tracy Allen, 37, was floating the river with friends Saturday afternoon when their series of interconnected float tubes ran into a large root ball snag just off the west shore of Wells Island. — Mark Bowder, The Seattle Times, "Vancouver woman missing after falling off float tube into Willamette River," 1 Sep. 2019 People responded to a free fireworks show and music by the river. — Jeff Suess, Cincinnati.com, "Blast from the past: The history of WEBN’s fireworks," 1 Sep. 2019 The lodge also lured fishermen, hunters and travelers wanting to make a pit stop on their way to Miami via the Banana and Indian rivers. — Martin E. Comas, orlandosentinel.com, "Hurricane Dorian may destroy historic camp in Merritt Island, Girl Scouts fear," 30 Aug. 2019 That implies the first people in the Americas must have come by sea, moving rapidly down the Pacific coast and up rivers. — Lizzie Wade, Science | AAAS, "First people in the Americas came by sea, ancient tools unearthed by Idaho river suggest," 29 Aug. 2019 Subsidence can grow worse when upstream dams block the incoming flow of new sediments in rivers or when groundwater or natural gas is pumped up from below, removing underlying support for the land, which contracts like a drying sponge. — Charlie Schmidt, Scientific American, "New Elevation Measure Shows Climate Change Could Quickly Swamp the Mekong Delta," 28 Aug. 2019 And as Jakarta sits on the coast, where a number of small rivers meet the sea, the flooding hazard is also real. — Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, "Jakarta has sunk by up to 4 meters, forcing Indonesia to build a new capital," 27 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'river.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for river
river
noun
English Language Learners Definition of river
: a large natural flow of water that crosses an area of land and goes into an ocean, a lake, etc.
: a large flow of something
See the full definition for river in the English Language Learners Dictionary
river
noun
riv·er
| \ ˈri-vər
\
\
Kids Definition of river
1
: a natural stream of water larger than a brook or creek
2
: a large stream or flow
a river of mud
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