flumes

noun

plural of flume
1
as in canyons
a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage hiked through the flume and into the meadow beyond it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in canals
an open man-made passageway for water built a flume next to the road for runoff

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 flumes Raft along 670 feet of tunnels and flumes on the Big Daddy Falls, and spin down funnels and fly up walls on the Colossal Curl. — Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 31 July 2026 Dial down the intensity on a plethora of moderate and mild flumes. — Alicia Underlee Nelson, Midwest Living, 15 July 2026 Powerful water jets propel the inner tubes up flumes and around the park giving spectacular views of the ocean. — Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flumes
  1. canyons
  2. canals
  3. ravines
  4. aqueducts
  5. gorges
  6. valleys
Noun
  • The last major blaze to sweep through the area was the 2018 Woolsey Fire, meaning brush in most of those canyons has not been cleared for about eight years.
    — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
  • By morning, firefighting aircraft were back in the air dropping water on the Bryson fire in Malibu while the sound of generators purchased by outage-weary residents and business owners buzzed through the canyons.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of canyons
Noun
  • Tech investment has more than quadrupled in the last three years, a boom unmatched in scale or speed by the rise of railways, canals, or the Internet.
    — RUCHIR SHARMA, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, security and environmental challenges along the Suez and Panama canals are directing more shipments through Southern California.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of canals
Noun
  • This 150-acre Clayton County preserve sits near shopping centers and busy roads, but its trails wind through woodlands, ravines and ponds that feel worlds away from metro Atlanta.
    — Nicole Bennett, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Many more were imperiled by muddy water racing through the narrow ravines, sparking frantic rescue missions for dozens.
    — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of ravines
Noun
  • Resilient and water-resistant, it was used in the Roman times for cisterns, amphoras, aqueducts, as well as underlayers for fresco paintings.
    — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The update will set rules for the Sacramento River and the rest of the Delta, where pumps operated by state and federal agencies send water flowing in aqueducts to farms and cities.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of aqueducts
Noun
  • The Ivy League college where fraternities throw parties in towering mansions and students weave between deep gorges on their way to class is being rocked over the handling of rape allegations from 2024.
    — Grey Battle, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Cliffs teeter at 1,640 feet, before tumbling down in a flurry of vineyards and walking trails to the rushing rivers and gorges of Sil and Miño.
    — Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of gorges
Noun
  • On Friday, temperatures in the valleys and along the coast will be in the upper 80s and 90s.
    — Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The most extreme conditions are expected in the Ventura and Los Angeles County valleys and mountains, particularly Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks, and Simi Valley.
    — Simmone Shah, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of valleys

Browse Nearby Words

flume
flumes
flummox
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Cite this Entry

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

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