as in to settle
to cause to come to rest at the bottom (as of a liquid)
the water flowing into the reservoir is sedimenting silt faster than was originally expected
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in silt
matter that settles to the bottom of a body of liquid
the sediment at the bottom of the river needs to be routinely dredged so that it doesn't interfere with barge traffic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sediment
Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
The team observed the octopuses launch objects and sediment several body lengths away.
—Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Sep. 2021
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025
These materials trap sediment, absorb heavy metals, and remove fertilizers, waste, and pollutants before the water is released into the canals and, eventually, Biscayne Bay.
—Courtney Heath, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sediment
Verb
The exploration data collected to-date indicates that previous historical open pit heap leaching operations did not advance their plans to develop attractive, wide, shallow gold-silver mineralization hosted in major structural zones in the Bisbee Group sediments west of the Contention Pit.
—Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
The team observed the octopuses launch objects and sediment several body lengths away.
—Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Sep. 2021
Noun
This suggests the amphibians perished in calm waters and were gently buried by layers of fine sediment over time.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025
These materials trap sediment, absorb heavy metals, and remove fertilizers, waste, and pollutants before the water is released into the canals and, eventually, Biscayne Bay.
—Courtney Heath, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sediment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sediment
Verb
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For all the chaos and strife of the tariffs in the opening act of his second term, Trump’s U.S.-Canada-Mexico trade deal, which went into effect in 2020, and his negotiations with China during his first term indicate some ability not just to pick economic fights but to try to settle them.—
Jennifer M. Harris,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
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Thousands of European Jews, including Sheinbaum’s grandparents, settled in the capital’s historic center.—
Stephania Taladrid,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But their efforts were hampered by severe debris and silt buildup, which in some places was reportedly six to seven feet high.—
Ali Watkins,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2025
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Search and rescue teams were at the scene on Friday using heavy military equipment and excavators to remove silt from the body of water where the vehicle was found on Wednesday.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Such pavers allow stormwater to be gradually filtered to the lot’s subbase, reducing flooding in the watershed and along the West Branch of the DuPage River, the release said.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2025
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And every disappearance is a tragedy for the forest ecosystem and the humans that depend on it to filter their water and air.—
Lauren Leffer,
Popular Science,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Texas Supreme Court said in November that Paxton would not have to sit for a deposition in the lawsuit — another win for the attorney general, who has managed to avoid testifying about the corruption allegations through the civil lawsuit, his impeachment trial and the federal investigation.—
Kayla Guo,
ProPublica,
4 Apr. 2025
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Details of those incidents — including the discipline Moulton received — were gleaned from depositions and other court filings from a lawsuit against the city by a man who was injured in one of the crashes.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
Orlando Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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About 60 percent of international deposits and bank loans are written in U.S. dollars, and about 70 percent of public bonds purchased in a currency other than a country’s home currency are denominated in U.S. dollars, according to researchers.—
Tobias Burns,
The Hill,
24 Apr. 2025
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An ischemic stroke is caused by blood vessels becoming narrowed or arteries being blocked by fatty deposits.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Once completed, the smelter will produce 90,000 tonnes of mixed hydroxide precipitate, a crucial material for making EV batteries.—
Yessar Rosendar,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
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Says the report: The calomel is captured as a precipitate and transferred to a mercury recycler who presumably converts it to elemental mercury and sells it into commerce. . . .—
Sallie Tisdale,
Harper's Magazine,
2 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Sediment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sediment. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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