SILT Synonyms: 71 Similar and Opposite Words

silt 1 of 2

noun

Definition of silt

as in sediment

soil made chiefly of loose sedimentary material that is carried by flowing water and that sinks to the bottom of a river, pond, etc.

Related Words

Relevance

silt

2 of 2

verb

as in to fur

Related Words

Dissimilar 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 silt

Noun

What survivors have said At least 279 hydropower workers have been rescued or managed to trudge their way out of the mud and silt riddled tunnels. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026 Microscopic particles of silt and clay can then settle on the soil surface. — Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 19 Aug. 2026

Verb

Historically, the region itself was created by the natural flooding and silting processes of the Mississippi River, which flows across the breadth of the state before spilling into the Gulf of America. — David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025 Its primary purpose is not to control people or accumulate power, except perhaps incrementally, in the form of a kind of silting up of canonical importance. — Literary Hub, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for silt

Recent Examples of Synonyms for silt

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

Verb

Measure the area to figure out how many panels and furring strips are needed.

— Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 14 Apr. 2026
Use shims to keep the panels level and apply a construction adhesive such as Liquid Nails to fasten them to the furring strips.

— Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 14 Apr. 2026

Definition of fur

Verb

Nowhere was that fact clearer than after each concert in the casino where rivers of black Metallica T-shirts flooded the pit.

— Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2026
But suddenly everything will change, and clouds will come in, and in 10 to 15 minutes, rain will start and flood everywhere.

— William Earl, Variety, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of flood

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

Verb

But the debate is more about whether the opposition coalition can split the vote, strip Hichilema’s UPND of its working legislative majority, and threaten to gridlock reforms.

— Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 29 July 2026
Campaign financing, taking money from special interests, leads not only to gridlock but also to an inability for political parties to act in good faith on their constituents’ behalf.

— Linh Tat, Oc Register, 5 May 2026

Definition of gridlock

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

Verb

The addition of several inches of rain took this flood from something that might have swamped a parking lot to a genuine disaster for the residents of Lincoln Bay.

— Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
The governor, who is up for reelection in November, said speculative proposals to build data centers had swamped Pennsylvania.

— Salena Zito, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of swamp

Browse Nearby Words

silly

silt

silted

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Silt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silt. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of silt

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on silt

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

inscrutable

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

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

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes