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river

river

∞ 1.0
A large natural flow of water that goes to the sea or a lake
  • noun
  • /ˈrɪvər/
: río
  • The swimming area is about 15 miles from where the river empties into the Pacific Ocean.
  • banks of the river
  • river flows
  • river water

So in Flint they switched river water, which you can't do.

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Examples

  • She collected shells along the banks of the river during her walk.

  • And there's a river, there's a river outside as well.

  • We are just sitting on the river and this is our view.

  • It's just that the air by the river is not really very good for you.

  • One is located south of the river, and the other is to the north of the river.

    Academic text (2011)
  • What is the name of the river which runs through Egypt?

  • My daughters carry water from the river.

  • Until about forty years ago, the villagers continued to use the river water for drinking.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The children played by the river, enjoying the sound of the flowing water.

  • The river provided a crucial water source for the nearby town.

Synonyms

waterway
vsriver
37 2.3

A river, canal, or channel that boats use to travel

is a natural large stream not defined by navigability or boats
watercourse
vsriver
1 4.8

A channel, natural or man-made, where water flows like a river

is a large natural stream flowing toward an ocean, a lake, or another stream

Idioms

10 8.8

To betray someone to get something for yourself

to cry a river
  • Informal
10 8.7

Complain a lot in a dramatic way about something that upsets you

cry me a river
  • Informal
6 9.6

Tell someone you do not feel sorry for their complaints

up the river
  • Informal
6 8.5

In trouble and not able to fix the situation

No two experiences are exactly the same

To be in a difficult situation with no way out

A joking way to show someone refuses to accept the truth

Crimea river
  • Informal
9.9

To make fun of someone who complains by saying their problem is not important

Compounds

A large river in North America that flows from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico

36 1.2

A river in eastern New York that flows south into New York Bay

24 3.7

A stretch of water in New York City separating Manhattan and the Bronx from Queens and Brooklyn

A large river in the southwestern US and northwestern Mexico that carved the Grand Canyon and supplies water

14 2.6

A major river in the eastern United States that flows west to meet the Mississippi River

A very long river in the United States that flows southeast from Montana to the Mississippi near St Louis

A large North American river that starts in Canada, flows along Washington and Oregon, and reaches the Pacific Ocean

A river in the eastern United States that flows east to the Chesapeake Bay between Maryland and Virginia

6 2.2

A river in the southern United States that flows east from Texas along Oklahoma's southern border into Louisiana

6 3.9

A river in the Middle East that flows from Mount Hermon through the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea

A river in eastern Massachusetts that flows into Boston Harbor and runs between Cambridge and Boston

A large river in the eastern United States that starts in New York and flows south into Delaware Bay

River Styx
  • Literature
5 9.9

A river in Greek myths that souls cross to reach the land of the dead

5 2.7

A long river in England that flows east through London to the North Sea

A large river that starts in the Rocky Mountains and flows southeast to the Mississippi River

river basin
  • Specialized
4 3.5

Land where a river and its streams send water to the same place

4 3.0

A large river in the northwest United States that flows from Wyoming to the Columbia River

A long river in northern California that starts near Mount Shasta and flows to San Francisco Bay

A large river in southwest Asia that flows through Turkey, Syria, and Iraq into the Persian Gulf

A river in southeastern United States that starts in northern Georgia and becomes the Apalachicola River at the Florida border

4 3.5

A large river in southwest Asia that flows through Turkey and Iraq and joins the Euphrates

3 1.7

A very long river in eastern Africa that flows north into the Mediterranean Sea

3 2.4

A very long river in northern South America that flows from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean

3 3.0

A large river in Southeast Asia that flows from Tibet to the South China Sea

3 2.9

The ground at the lowest part of a river channel where water flows

A river in the southeastern United States forming most of the border between South Carolina and Georgia

A major river in the southeastern United States that flows into the Ohio River

The longest river in Asia flowing east from Tibet through China to the East China Sea near Shanghai

2 2.1

A major river that starts in the Himalayas and flows to the Bay of Bengal, sacred to Hindus

A large river in Illinois that flows southwest into the Mississippi River

2 3.2

A river in the western United States that starts in Wyoming and flows south into the Colorado River

2 3.4

The second-longest river in northern China that flows east to the Yellow Sea and has yellow mud

A large river in the northeastern United States that flows south into Long Island Sound

river rat
  • Informal
2 8.3

A person who spends a lot of time near rivers and likes boating or fishing

A short river between the United States and Canada that flows from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie

A river in eastern Texas that starts near Dallas and flows southeast to Galveston Bay

2 2.3

A large river in western Europe that starts in the Swiss Alps and flows north to the North Sea

2 2.9

A boat that carries people or goods along a river

2 6.2

A river in East Asia that forms part of the border between North Korea and China

2 3.0

A narrow stretch of water between Manhattan and the Bronx in New York City

2 2.8

A long river in England that flows east through London to the North Sea

2 3.1

A major river in central Africa that flows to the Atlantic Ocean

A river in northern California flowing to the Pacific, with vineyards and recreation

2 3.7

A long river in Central and Eastern Europe that flows southeast to the Black Sea

A river in the northeastern United States that joins the Monongahela at Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River

A large river in northeastern United States that flows from New York through Pennsylvania and Maryland to Chesapeake Bay

A large river in the western United States that flows through Yellowstone National Park and joins the Missouri River

A river flowing from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario that forms the border between Ontario and New York

1 4.2

A major river in central Europe that starts in the Czech Republic and flows north to the North Sea

1 2.8

A large river that flows from the Yukon in Canada through Alaska to the Bering Sea

1 2.5

A small furry animal that lives by rivers and swims and plays

A large river in North America that flows from the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic

1 4.9

A river in western Georgia that flows south to the Florida border and joins the Chattahoochee to form the Apalachicola

A river in southeast North Carolina that flows into the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Fear

1 3.9

A large river in northern France that flows through Paris and into the English Channel

A river in the western United States that flows southwest from southern Oregon through northern California to the Pacific Ocean

A long river in southern Africa that flows east to the Indian Ocean

A river in New Hampshire and Massachusetts that flows into the Atlantic Ocean

1 3.4

A large river in western Africa that flows into the Atlantic Ocean

A river in western Oregon that flows north into the Columbia River near Portland

1 2.6

A long river in Europe that flows through western Russia into the Caspian Sea

A river in the central United States that flows through Colorado and Nebraska and joins the Platte River

A large river in central California that starts in the Sierra Nevada and flows to the Sacramento River

river blindness
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A disease caused by a tiny worm spread by black flies that makes skin very itchy and causes blindness

A long river in northeast Florida that flows north to Jacksonville and east to the Atlantic Ocean

1 3.5

A large river in South Asia that starts in Tibet and flows to the Arabian Sea

A dolphin with a long snout that lives in fresh water rivers like the Amazon

1 5.3

A large river in Western Europe that flows through France, Belgium and the Netherlands into the North Sea

A river in eastern Virginia that flows into the Chesapeake Bay

A river in eastern United States that flows north into Pittsburgh to join the Allegheny and form the Ohio River

A group of American landscape painters from the 1800s who show the Hudson River valley in their paintings

A large river in Myanmar that flows north to south into the Andaman Sea

1 4.6

A river in the southwestern United States that flows from New Mexico through western Texas into the Rio Grande

How Big

river
∞ 1.0
creek
  • US
240 1.4
stream
186 1.0
brook
22 1.0

Surface Forms

river singular
rivers plural

Etymology

River comes from Old French riviere, from the Latin ripa meaning 'bank' or 'shore'. So a river is the moving water that runs along a bank, and that origin helps you remember why the word names flowing water.