alluvium

noun

Definition of alluviumnext
as in colluvium

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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
  • Since very few larger organisms (worms and clams excepted) can live in mud, mud makes an excellent medium for studying past climates by examining the stratified sediments at the bottom of water bodies.
    — Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 5 Oct. 2026
  • If Lake Powell reaches dead pool, the water in the reservoir would become shallow and warm, causing fish die-offs and algae blooms and becoming filled with sediment.
    — Story Hinckley, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of sediment
Noun
  • At a final construction update held near the crossing Thursday, Robert Rock, lead landscape architect and principal designer for the crossing, explained that the soil in the area is rich in clay and silt.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • This last characteristic is great for worms and bivalves that vibrate their way through it, but not so great when earthquakes cause silts and clays to slump into landslides.
    — Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of silt
Noun
  • Spanning parts of Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, the area is best known for its rolling green hills, shaped over thousands of years by windblown sediment called loess.
    — Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 21 Sep. 2026
  • 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
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
  • Competitive hackles aside, the ranks of the independent advisory boutique now seem like so much ego detritus, a horse painting above a fireplace.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Previous seasons saw Vernon curate the subterranean room into messy domestic tableaux, with pieces nestled among scenes of dinner parties and unfinished musical manuscripts—the detritus of a chaotic creative process.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of detritus
Noun
  • Daffodils, alliums, crocuses and snowdrops are somewhat more tolerant of clay soil than other bulbs.
    — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026
  • For three years, as Israeli bombs made ruins of the ground, some of the trees and vines had clung to life in the spongy layer of clay below.
    — Ghada Abdulfattah, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of clay

Browse Nearby Words

alluvions
alluvium
alluviums
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Cite this Entry

“Alluvium.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alluvium. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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