as in bays
a part of a body of water that extends beyond the general shoreline
the city sits on the shores of a deep estuary where the Hudson River meets the Atlantic Ocean
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Recent Examples of estuaries
The crab-eating frog (Fejervarya cancrivora) lives in mangroves, coastal swamps and estuaries across Southeast Asia.
—
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Get On The Water Matlacha is surrounded by mangroves and estuaries full of wildlife like dolphins, rays, and manatees.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 11 Jan. 2026
But the discharges also can overwhelm the delicate estuaries east and west of the state’s largest lake and, during the warm summer months, spread blooms of toxic algae, an issue that has become more persistent in recent years.
—Amy Green, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
The bridge connects parts of the region fragmented by the undulating sea coast and river estuaries, and is the only main route towards Moldova's border crossings to the west.
—Yuliia Dysa, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
On the tower’s other side, boundless flats of sand and cracked mud spread to the horizon across what was, prior to the river’s damming a century ago, one of Earth’s great green estuaries.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
In 2017, deposits of bio-beads were discovered along Dorset and Devon beaches, with surveys showing millions of tiny plastic pellets embedded in the sand, creeks, and estuaries.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 29 Nov. 2025
Coastal estuaries are the scene of intense daily dramas of survival, featuring a cast of hundreds of species, and much of it is microscopic and underwater.
—Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2025
Unlike solar or wind, osmotic power can run continuously wherever fresh and saltwater meet; at estuaries, desalination plants, even inland salt lakes.
—New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2025
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Get On The Water Matlacha is surrounded by mangroves and estuaries full of wildlife like dolphins, rays, and manatees.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 11 Jan. 2026
But the discharges also can overwhelm the delicate estuaries east and west of the state’s largest lake and, during the warm summer months, spread blooms of toxic algae, an issue that has become more persistent in recent years.
—Amy Green, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
The bridge connects parts of the region fragmented by the undulating sea coast and river estuaries, and is the only main route towards Moldova's border crossings to the west.
—Yuliia Dysa, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
On the tower’s other side, boundless flats of sand and cracked mud spread to the horizon across what was, prior to the river’s damming a century ago, one of Earth’s great green estuaries.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
In 2017, deposits of bio-beads were discovered along Dorset and Devon beaches, with surveys showing millions of tiny plastic pellets embedded in the sand, creeks, and estuaries.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 29 Nov. 2025
Coastal estuaries are the scene of intense daily dramas of survival, featuring a cast of hundreds of species, and much of it is microscopic and underwater.
—Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2025
Unlike solar or wind, osmotic power can run continuously wherever fresh and saltwater meet; at estuaries, desalination plants, even inland salt lakes.
—New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for estuaries
bays
Noun
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The rain moved into the region closer to San Francisco, including some areas in the East and South bays, in the afternoon, Murdock said.—
Rick Hurd,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Puerto Rico is an adventure paradise, complete with glow-in-the-dark bays to paddle and one of the largest cave systems in the world to explore.—
Kathleen Rellihan,
Outside,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Estuaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/estuaries. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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