Synonyms for river

Most common

stream · creek · estuary · tributary · bayou · arroyo · wadi

All synonyms

Noun

Antonyms

rivulet

All antonyms of river →

Definitions

1. n. 1

   A large and often winding stream which drains a land mass, carrying water down from higher areas to a lower point, oftentimes ending in another body of water, such as an ocean or in an inland sea.

   Occasionally rivers overflow their banks and cause floods.

Related words

Word family

riverbend riverboarding rivercane riverine river-nymph riverside

Phrases

river basin river bottom pass the river river birch river horse river oats river red gum cross the river

Is a kind of

watercourse body of water

Forms

Plural

rivers → creeks, streams, tributaries, estuaries…

Example sentences

• stream It must be dangerous to swim in this rapid stream.
• creek There was a creek about a mile from where we were.
• estuary The tide rushed into the estuary at a menacing pace.
• tributary The Oste is a tributary of the River Elbe.
• bayou A corpse was found at the bayou just yesterday.
• arroyo Arroyo is just another name for a wash.

Popularity over time

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters

run¹

4 letters

kill¹, born¹, jill¹, beck¹, wadi², sike

5 letters

fresh¹, creek¹, brook¹, bayou², crick¹

6 letters

stream¹, branch¹, bourne¹, arroyo³, runnel, runlet

7 letters

estuary⁴, rivulet, freshet

8 letters

brooklet

9 letters

tributary⁴, streamlet

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (wadi² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français

fleuve

Italiano

fiume

Español

río

Deutsch

Fluss

Català

riu