flumes

noun

plural of flume
1
as in canyons
a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage hiked through the flume and into the meadow beyond it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in canals
an open man-made passageway for water built a flume next to the road for runoff

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 flumes Raft along 670 feet of tunnels and flumes on the Big Daddy Falls, and spin down funnels and fly up walls on the Colossal Curl. — Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 31 July 2026 Dial down the intensity on a plethora of moderate and mild flumes. — Alicia Underlee Nelson, Midwest Living, 15 July 2026 Powerful water jets propel the inner tubes up flumes and around the park giving spectacular views of the ocean. — Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flumes
  1. canyons
  2. canals
  3. ravines
  4. aqueducts
  5. gorges
  6. valleys
Noun
  • Officials briefly closed a portion of the scenic coastal route Thursday afternoon as firefighters scrambled to keep the flames from running through canyons.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Los Alamos, not far from Santa Fe, sits at the foot of Pajarito Mountain in a land of canyons and mesas.
    — Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of canyons
Noun
  • Other residents use separate pressure-irrigation systems supplied with Boise River water delivered through canals and laterals.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Often called the Venice of the South, Cape Canal features 400 of miles canals lined with gorgeous waterfront homes.
    — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of canals
Noun
  • Lake Overstreet has about five miles of multi-use trails through live oaks (a northern Florida staple), hills and ravines surrounding a secluded 144-acre lake.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Rising from near the Aegean coast to 9,573-foot Mytikas, Greece’s highest peak, the mountain encompasses forests, ravines, limestone cliffs, and alpine habitat with unusually rich plant diversity.
    — Bailey Berg, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of ravines
Noun
  • The update will set rules for the Sacramento River and the rest of the Delta, where pumps operated by state and federal agencies send water flowing in aqueducts to farms and cities.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Roman aqueducts Aqueducts transported water from distant sources into cities using gravity rather than mechanical pumps.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of aqueducts
Noun
  • The mother and daughter are among 90 Americans missing after the devastating landslide and flood, which tore through steep mountain gorges near the Nepal-China border and surged downstream along a river, wiping out entire villages.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Nepal's mountainous terrain, dotted with deep valleys and narrow gorges, makes rescue and relief operations challenging.
    — Arshad R. Zargar, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of gorges
Noun
  • The rupture released a torrent of ice, mud, rock, and water that built up and then burst through the region’s narrow valleys and waterways.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The rocks and melted water suddenly swelled the rivers in the valleys below, causing torrents of water that swept buildings, bridges and earth downstream in Tibet and Nepal.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of valleys

Browse Nearby Words

flume
flumes
flummox
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Cite this Entry

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

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