alluvium

noun

Definition of alluviumnext
as in colluvium

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of alluvium What used to be open water was heading towards alluvium, and oblivion. — Rob Crossan, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Mar. 2026 At some point, alluvium buried the entire tusk, possibly from major storm flooding. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2024 The tusk was covered with alluvium, possibly during a major flooding event, MDEQ said. — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2024 These waters carried debris called alluvium, that makes up the Delta's fertile soil. — Richard Mason, Arkansas Online, 23 May 2021 Scott traces their advent to a few hundred years later, in a constellation of cities that sprang up on the Mesopotamian alluvium around what was then the northern end of the Persian Gulf. — Tim Flannery, The New York Review of Books, 12 Mar. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alluvium
  1. sediment
  2. silt
  3. loess
  4. marl
  5. detritus
  6. clay
Noun
  • Permafrost on the mountains, the continuously frozen soil and sediment, is now changing, said Byers.
    — Ava Berger, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Ice also holds mountains together, in the form of permafrost, a mix of soil, rock, sediment and ice.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of sediment
Noun
  • This torrent was made up not just of water but was also loaded with silt, sand, gravel and giant boulders, which all moved together as a single fluid.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Microscopic particles of silt and clay can then settle on the soil surface.
    — Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of silt
Noun
  • The base played a critical role in national defense, housing a command bunker, planted deep into the regional loess, that was designed to withstand a nuclear blast.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
  • The Rhône's predominantly granite soils versus Walla Walla's basalt bedrock, riverbed cobbles, and windblown loess.
    — Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of loess
Noun
  • Freshman Ben Smith became the first NCAA outdoor champion for Oregon in the shot put since Dean Crouser (1982) with a marl of 69-0 1/2.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 June 2026
  • Its striking blue-green hues and clarity—allowing visibility of 20 to 30 feet—are due to minimal organic runoff and calcium-rich marl sediment from its glacial origins.
    — Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 21 May 2026
Definition of marl
Noun
  • The past is not so much foreign as free, free to anyone who is willing to do the work, to enter the past with a spirit of curiosity and a willingness to conjure a living world out of the detritus that history leaves behind.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Still, even with Ellison’s $111 billion WBD takeover plan under threat from a state attorneys general antitrust suit, $4 million and change is sofa detritus to the son of Larry Ellison.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of detritus
Noun
  • Featuring warm neutrals, earthy tones, muted pinks, clay hues, and airy blues, the palette includes shades inspired by nature—from sandy beaches to golden autumn leaves.
    — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Conventional production involves heating limestone, clay and other materials to temperatures up to 2,552 degrees Fahrenheit (1,400 degrees Celsius).
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of clay

Browse Nearby Words

alluvions
alluvium
alluviums
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Alluvium.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alluvium. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on alluvium

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about alluvium

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All