bayou

noun

ˈbī-(ˌ)ü How to pronounce bayou (audio)
Definition of bayounext
as in tributary
a stream that flows into a larger body of water a small creek that is the bayou of a larger stream

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of bayou Goaded on by a governor, who handpicked the university president and staged a coup to overthrow one athletic director in order to hire Kiffin, the bayou bandits are proudly wearing their black hats. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026 Henley was raised in a tiny Texas town bound by bayou and pine, the same place that produced Scott Joplin and T-Bone Walker. — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026 Now the sound was muffled from the hunters as the dogs passed around a canebrake wall bordered by a dark bayou. — Paul Schullery, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026 Day One of the conference was unfortunately a bit muted this time around as Tropical Storm Bertha ripped across the Gulf Coast, unleashing its power across the Louisiana bayou. — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for bayou
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bayou
tributary
Noun
  • Salmon born in its tributaries migrate to the ocean, spend years feeding at sea, then return to spawn, linking villages like Rampart to the same waters where the pollock fleet fishes.
    — Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The team would be making camp at the confluence of the Barrancas and one of its tributaries.
    — Jordan Salama, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of tributary

Browse Nearby Words

bayonets
bayou
bayous
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Cite this Entry

“Bayou.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bayou. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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