runnels

noun

plural of runnel
as in brooks
a natural body of running water smaller than a river the fugitive made use of local runnels to throw the bloodhounds off his scent

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for runnels
  1. brooks
  2. creeks
  3. rivulets
  4. rills
Noun
  • The surrounding 23 acres the estate sits on are full of trails ripe for exploring, too, and take visitors past historic stone walls, cemeteries, and babbling brooks.
    — Blair West, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Insects drone over running brooks.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
Definition of brooks
Noun
  • As rain falls on the dry, arid slopes in the region, large volumes of water can quickly flow into creeks and waterways.
    — Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Its unique campus and educational approach invites students to learn through hiking trails, creeks and ponds and a barnyard with animals.
    — Isa Almeida, Oklahoman, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of creeks
Noun
  • Madly sentient guts spill from the sitter’s back in swollen rivulets.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026
  • Our beach quickly turned into a morass of clay, cut through by dozens of fast-flowing rivulets.
    — John Todd, Outdoor Life, 9 July 2026
Definition of rivulets
Noun
  • What had looked like a dense palm grove from above is actually a lush network of wheat, zucchini, mint, and tomato plots fed by a network of rills that carry water from a natural pool to the crops below.
    — Christopher Garis, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. 2022
Definition of rills
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.

Browse Nearby Words

runnel
runnels
runner
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Cite this Entry

“Runnels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/runnels. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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