to silt up
1
6.9
- phrasal verb
- /sɪlt ʌp/
:
sedimentarse
- Local authorities are concerned that if the lakes continue to silt up, it will affect the wildlife in the area.
- river silted up
- harbors silt up
Examples
-
As rivers slow, they drop their sand, and harbors silt up and deltas spread.
Academic text (1998) -
The port of Paestum in southern Italy silted up completely, and the town declined, while Ravenna lost its access to the sea.
Academic text (1990) -
After about six generations, sea levels fell, and the surrounding swamps silted up.
Academic text (2006) -
This aggravated the fundamental problem because the river silted up and rose while the surrounding land subsided.
Academic text (2006) -
As a consequence, some wetlands are silting up into muddy pools.
Academic text (2007) -
The Oostercnd fishermen joined forces in an attempt to maintain their harbor, which had silted up in the 1850s.
Academic text (1996) -
Farmers and ranchers are cutting and burning trees, degrading watersheds, and allowing rivers and dams to silt up.
Academic text (1994) -
The city's importance as a commercial center declined as the harbor was slowly silted up by the Cayster River (Kk Menderes).
Blog text (4) -
Small communities persisted near the Temple of Athena for a few centuries; it was converted to a basilica around the fifth century A.D. as nearby springs silted up, turning the area into swamp.
Academic text (2010) -
The river began to silt up after heavy rains washed away the soil along its banks.
Synonyms
9
3.7
To block a drain or road so things cannot move through it
1
5.6
To become or make a place filled with fine soil left by moving water
1
7.0
To make small bits sink and collect at the bottom of a liquid
Antonyms
How Blocked
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'become or cause to become filled with silt' is directly derivable from combining 'silt' (fine sediment) with the particle 'up', which commonly marks filling, completion, or accumulation (compare 'fill up', 'clog up'). This V + up compositional pattern is a regular, predictable English construction, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The verb silt up shows the image of silt, fine sand or mud, building up on the bottom of a river or harbour until the channel becomes shallow and boats cannot pass. That's why it means 'to become' or 'to cause to become' 'filled' or 'blocked' with silt.