as in headwater
a stream that flows into a larger body of water
the Amazon and its more than 1,000 known tributaries form the world's largest drainage basin
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in subordinate
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of tributary
Catherine Porter, New York Times, 6 June 2023
This was a tributary version of the break-up and floe of ice that historically has happened in all the Great Lakes.
—Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 27 Mar. 2023
Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2025
Experts say threats to water have an outsize impact in Pakistan because so much of its agriculture is supported by the Indus and its tributaries.
—Betsy Joles, NPR, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for tributary
Noun
The edges of the country roads are decorated by tributary statues and banners flashing the faces of Allied soldiers who died in the fight.
—Catherine Porter, New York Times, 6 June 2023
This was a tributary version of the break-up and floe of ice that historically has happened in all the Great Lakes.
—Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 27 Mar. 2023
Adjective
Venues of all sizes along the Guadalupe and its tributaries were flooded, with some, such as Lone Star Floathouse in New Braunfels, sustaining heavy damage.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2025
Experts say threats to water have an outsize impact in Pakistan because so much of its agriculture is supported by the Indus and its tributaries.
—Betsy Joles, NPR, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for tributary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tributary
Noun
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The headwaters originate near 151st Street and Antioch Road in Overland Park and flows east for 4 miles through Leawood, ending at the Blue River in Missouri.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
21 July 2025
-
Recovery efforts continue, with more than 1,000 local, state, and federal personnel – alongside thousands of volunteers from across the country – combing the area on foot from the river’s headwaters to Canyon Lake.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
20 July 2025
Adjective
-
These institutions provide checks and balances in a way that would almost seem to draw on American traditions of government — with the profound difference that all institutions in Iran are ultimately subordinate to just one power, Khamenei's.—
Steve Inskeep,
NPR,
25 June 2025
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Columban monasteries remained free of the control of local bishops and were instead directly subordinate to the pope.—
Bernd Roeck
June 16,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2025
Noun
-
The company's digital division and supply chain solutions branches both also saw positive growth despite the global trade difficulties.—
Olivia Evans,
The Courier-Journal,
30 July 2025
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These new bills could unleash the power of the state’s executive branch on doctors and others suspected of helping pregnant people terminate their pregnancies.—
Bayliss Wagner,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
Noun
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Coming from humble beginnings in the Louisiana bayou, the sisters decided to chase the glitz and glamour of the Big Apple and haven’t looked back.—
Liza Esquibias,
People.com,
16 July 2025
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Pratt was stout, compact and level-eyed, with a raspy drawl bespeaking his childhood on the Louisiana bayou.—
Christopher Goffard,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2025
Noun
-
In the experiment, mosquitoes were given access to feeders containing A, B, AB and O blood.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Austin American Statesman,
21 July 2025
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The hooded orioles, those delightful and colorful visitors to our nectar feeders all summer, will be departing in about a month to winter homes in Mexico.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 July 2025
Adjective
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This signals that Reed is set up to be a complementary wide receiver as opposed to being an outside X receiver that could dominate that team's target share.—
Steve Bradshaw,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
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The Princess of Wales, 43, and her daughter subtly coordinated their outfits in complementary shades.—
Stephanie Petit,
People.com,
13 July 2025
Noun
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In Hawaii's case, the volcanoes are the result of a heat source deep within the Earth's mantle.—
Elizabeth Weise,
USA Today,
14 July 2025
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Communities are encouraged to work together, removing food sources and actively hazing coyotes, to prevent them from becoming too comfortable around people.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
In his 1985 report, Popplewell cited the lack of fire extinguishers or clearly signposted evacuation routes as a contributory factor, along with the locked exit gates and no one knowing who was in overall control of the matchday operation.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
10 May 2025
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The news comes in the wake of health officials announcing that Arakawa died at 65 from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare condition that comes from contact with rodents, and Hackman subsequently died at 95 from heart disease, with Alzheimer's as a significant contributory factor.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tributary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tributary. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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