Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

river

1 American  
[riv-er] / ˈrɪv ər /

noun

  1. a natural stream of water of fairly large size flowing in a definite course or channel or series of diverging and converging channels.

  2. a similar stream of something other than water: a river of ice.

    a river of lava;

    a river of ice.

  3. any abundant stream or copious flow; outpouring: rivers of words.

    rivers of tears;

    rivers of words.

  4. Astronomy. River, the constellation Eridanus.

  5. Printing. a vertical channel of white space resulting from the alignment in several lines of spaces between words.

idioms

  1. sell down the river, to betray; deceive; double-cross.

    to sell one's friends down the river.

  2. up the river,

    1. to prison.

      to be sent up the river for a bank robbery.

    2. in prison.

      Thirty years up the river had made him a stranger to society.
river 2 American  
[rahy-ver] / ˈraɪ vər /

noun

  1. a person who rives.

river British  
/ ˈrɪvə /

noun

    1. a large natural stream of fresh water flowing along a definite course, usually into the sea, being fed by tributary streams

    2. ( as modifier )

      river traffic

      a river basin

    3. ( in combination )

      riverside

      riverbed

  2. any abundant stream or flow

    a river of blood

  3. informal to deceive or betray

  4. slang poker the fifth and final community card to be dealt in a round of Texas hold 'em

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
river Scientific  
/ rĭv′ər /

  1. A wide, natural stream of fresh water that flows into an ocean or other large body of water and is usually fed by smaller streams, called tributaries, that enter it along its course. A river and its tributaries form a drainage basin, or watershed, that collects the runoff throughout the region and channels it along with erosional sediments toward the river. The sediments are typically deposited most heavily along the river's lower course, forming floodplains along its banks and a delta at its mouth.

river More Idioms  

  1. see sell down the river; up the river.

Other Word Forms

  • riverless adjective
  • riverlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of river1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English river(e), rever(e), from Old French rivere, riviere, from unattested Vulgar Latin rīpāria, noun use of feminine of Latin rīpārius riparian

Origin of river2

First recorded in 1450–1500; rive + -er 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Tensions between development and conservation have been growing in the Maasai Mara, where the number of camps and lodges, many built along scenic rivers, has nearly doubled over the past decade.

From The Wall Street Journal

Turtles swim into the mouth of the river, in the Long Beach-Seal Beach area, and then just hang out and eat algae.

From Los Angeles Times

That will mean less snowmelt feeding the river’s reservoirs, which are declining to critically low levels.

From Los Angeles Times

A major review of the state of the Welsh environment recently warned of "polluted rivers, failing soils" and "collapsing wildlife" - with one in five species at risk of extinction.

From BBC

A family of beavers has been released into a Lincolnshire river to live in what officials claim is England's largest beaver enclosure.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.