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
Relevance
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
Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 28 Jan. 2026
The former is caused by manganese garnet sediment and quartz that wash down from nearby cliffs, giving the sand an amethyst-like radiance.
—Alanna Bennett, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Jan. 2026
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
Gas water heaters need to be regularly flushed to remove sediment build-up from inside the tank, which can settle and slowly start to clog the base of the tank.
—Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 28 Jan. 2026
The former is caused by manganese garnet sediment and quartz that wash down from nearby cliffs, giving the sand an amethyst-like radiance.
—Alanna Bennett, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sediment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sediment
Verb
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While OpenAI hasn’t yet settled on a way to implement ads for its blockbuster chatbot, an early screenshot the company showed off during its announcement late last year indicates that free-tier users will likely be painfully aware that the company is trying to sell them something.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
5 Feb. 2026
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Encased in inflatable shock absorbers, the sphere bounced across the lunar surface like a beach ball, eventually settling and unfolding four petal-like panels to stabilize itself.—
Ilya Ferapontov,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Over centuries, silt gradually pushed the shoreline further away, contributing to Ephesus’ abandonment by the time of the Ottoman era in the 15th century.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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Its heliacal rising would herald the annual flooding of the Nile Valley, the waters re-fertilizing the fields with silt.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
If any part of that is uncertain — weak GPS data, offshore photos, older images — the result gets filtered out.—
Ken Colburn,
AZCentral.com,
8 Feb. 2026
-
But it’s filtered through her sensibility, which is contemporary.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Other witnesses include Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who agreed to give depositions in late February.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
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In some of the depositions, State Farm attorneys attempted to discredit their testimony.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoman,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Vinegar is an acid, which dissolves the mineral deposits left behind by hard water, making the stains easier to wipe away without damaging the refrigerator’s surface, says Alicia Sokolowski, president and co-CEO at AspenClean.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
5 Feb. 2026
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Statements from October 2024 through April 2025 list the three resident deposits.—
Erik S. Hanley,
jsonline.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The polyester precipitates from the solvent upon cooling, and can likewise be reused.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Nov. 2025
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The longer this cooling time is, the more likely the individual precipitate is to grow, according to details released by MIT.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sediment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sediment. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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