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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in subordinate
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tributary
ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
And there’s no ice now in Tarryall, a tributary of the South Platte River.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 17 Apr. 2026
Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023
Sometimes the killers may be Chechens maybe organized by Putin’s other feral favourite, his tributary ruler of Russia’s Chechen republic, Kadyrov.
—Time, 24 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for tributary
Noun
The strongest releases from Flaming Gorge in the days and weeks ahead will be calibrated to help native fish in the Green River, a Colorado River tributary.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
And there’s no ice now in Tarryall, a tributary of the South Platte River.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
That salty, terminal lake had its tributary water diverted away by the city of Los Angeles, turning it into a dry salt flat.
—Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023
Sometimes the killers may be Chechens maybe organized by Putin’s other feral favourite, his tributary ruler of Russia’s Chechen republic, Kadyrov.
—Time, 24 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for tributary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tributary
Noun
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Already primed for catastrophe, townspeople’s discovery that developers had quietly targeted Acton for multiple battery projects stoked fears of industrial blight, fire and contamination of residential water wells and the nearby headwaters of Southern California’s last free-flowing river.—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
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That’s less than half the typical spring flows during planting season, due to the low snowpack in the mountains west of Leadville above the headwaters of the Arkansas River.—
Bruce Finley,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Another amendment adopted to the bill sought to address multiuser accounts, chiefly by having parental and subordinate accounts.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The White House declined to comment on the allegations against former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who stepped down last week after multiple allegations of abusing her position’s power, including having an affair with a subordinate and drinking alcohol on the job.—
Ana Ceballos
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
After school, the siblings liked to climb in a willow that was in front of their home, hiding from their parents beneath the sweep of its branches.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Only in a few of the paintings is the mark clearly discernible as the crooked branch of a tree.—
Ben Davis,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Shirley was buried in a segregated graveyard under live oaks, on a bayou.—
Jesmyn Ward,
Vanity Fair,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Here the lodge’s rangers transport us on boats, searching for hippos who give themselves away by clusters of bubbles rising to the surface of the bayou.—
Lucie Grace,
TheWeek,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The project is critically important for the growing city, said Sarah Young, an assistant general manager for the utility.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
-
Last week, Pernerewski said city officials had started the process of finding a new water superintendent and that assistant water superintendent Chris Savage would oversee the day-to-day operations of the Bureau of Water until the position was filled.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Over time, birdbaths and feeders can collect algae, mold, and mildew, which aren't safe for birds.—
Samantha Johnson,
Martha Stewart,
29 Apr. 2026
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These crops are also heavy feeders, as are brassicas like cabbage, kale, and broccoli.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The pair, who were married for 18 years before their divorce over a decade ago, wore complementary outfits for their dinner date, both opting for cropped jackets and jeans while the Mask of Zorro star held his baseball cap in his hands.—
Clare Fisher,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
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The complementary conditioner dials up the moisture with shea butter, murumuru butter, and amino acids to smooth and strengthen—leaving hair soft, bouncy, and ready for styling.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Bo Erickson | Reuters A source who was attending the event, and was briefed by Secret Service after the shooting, told CNBC’s Eamon Javers that a man with a shotgun had approached metal detectors and was shot by Secret Service agents.—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
26 Apr. 2026
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David Rubenstein, principal owner of the Baltimore Orioles, was also among the guests, sources told Candy Woodall of Spotlight on Maryland.—
Bridget Byrne,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tributary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tributary. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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