riverbed

noun

riv·​er·​bed ˈri-vər-ˌbed How to pronounce riverbed (audio)
Synonyms of riverbednext
: the channel occupied by a river

Examples of riverbed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Port-au-Prince, Haiti — Trees wrap around buildings, roots sprout from riverbeds of plastic trash, and vines creep down the street. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026 In Sakarya province, around 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of Istanbul, a two-story house that was built on a riverbed collapsed in the floods, HaberTurk television reported. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026 But Dovzhenko goes a step further by making his characters look less like statues than like natural features, the wrinkles on their faces as noble as riverbeds. — Sophie Pinkham, The New York Review of Books, 10 Oct. 2026 Cultivation The plant grows naturally on riverbeds, grasslands, and human-disturbed areas; it can be propagated from both seeds and stem cuttings. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for riverbed

Word History

First Known Use

1781, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of riverbed was in 1781

Rhymes for riverbed

See All Rhymes for riverbed

Browse Nearby Words

river basin
riverbed
river birch
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Riverbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riverbed. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

riverbed

noun
riv·​er·​bed -ˌbed How to pronounce riverbed (audio)
: the channel occupied or once occupied by a river

More from Merriam-Webster on riverbed

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