Skip to main content
floodplain

floodplain

11 4.6
Low land next to a river that can flood
  • noun
  • /ˈflʌdˌpleɪn/
translation icon : llanura de inundación
  • Farmers often cultivate crops in the rich soil of the floodplain along the river.
  • floodplain river
  • floodplain habitat
  • floodplain management

But that flowing river does need dams and locks on it because if it's just let go, then then you'll have floodplains.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • It sits largely on a floodplain near the Johor River that is often inundated due to high tides.

  • Natural values of floodplain environments are given lip service but little concrete support.

    Academic text (1993)
  • And I did find an article that maps out the rough floodplain around the area.

  • Animals and plants of the floodplain thrive, while river researchers have a field day.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The flooding generally had a positive impact on native floodplain species, these scientists say.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The land is now a floodplain under the control of the Peregrine River Authority.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • This left more space for water to collect in low lying floodplains, creating reservoirs and habitats for local wildlife.

  • In Bulgaria, for instance, 90 percent of the river's floodplain wetlands have disappeared.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Maintaining and expanding healthy rivers, wetlands, and floodplains is a key element of effective climate adaptation strategies.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Warren Matte has a 1,000-acre ranch along the Milk River floodplain on the Fort Belknap Reservation near Dodson, Montana.

    Academic text (1994)

Synonyms

bottom
vsfloodplain
33 5.8

Flat low land next to a river that often floods

emphasizes formation by river sediments and regular flooding
flood plain
vsfloodplain
5 3.7

Flat land next to a river that often floods when the river rises

is the single word modern form of the same name
bottomland
vsfloodplain
  • US
2 7.2

Low land next to a river that often floods and has rich soil

focuses on plain characteristics and flooding rather than soil richness
alluvial plain
vsfloodplain
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A flat area of land near a river with rich soil left by floods

stresses flood risk and low-lying location rather than deposition process
holm
vsfloodplain
  • Archaic
9.8

A low flat area beside a river that often floods

is a general sediment-formed low area often flooded, not mainly a meadow

Antonyms

23 1.0

The solid ground on Earth that is not under the sea

1 5.1

In high, hilly country away from low flat land

How Flood-Prone

floodplain
11 4.6
low-lying
15 4.1
riverbank
24 1.3
terrace
19 4.1
upland
1 5.1

Surface Forms

floodplain singular
floodplains plural

Morphology

floodplain = flood + plain (transparent) = flood + plain

The meaning 'an area of land (plain) associated with flooding' is a direct combination of the two component meanings and is obvious to learners.

Etymology

The word floodplain comes from two everyday words: flood ('an overflowing of water') and plain ('flat land'). So a floodplain is the flat land next to a river that often becomes covered by flood water and is made by sand and soil left by the river.