estuary
noun
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A partly enclosed coastal body of water in which river water is mixed with seawater is called an estuary. An estuary is thus defined by salinity rather than geography. Many coastal features designated by other names are in fact estuaries (for instance, Chesapeake Bay). Some of the oldest continuous civilizations have flourished in estuarine environments (for example, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the Nile delta, and the Ganges delta). Cities such as London (Thames River), New York (Hudson River), and Montreal (St. Lawrence River) developed on estuaries and became important commercial centers.
Examples of estuary in a Sentence
Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 28 Feb. 2025
Below are wines to consider sampling from the Right Bank of the Gironde estuary in the Bordeaux wine country of southwest France.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
With estuaries full of reptiles, swooping egrets, and thick tangles of mangroves decorated in Cajun hibiscus, this is wild Louisiana.
—Jenny Adams, AFAR Media, 11 Feb. 2025
The city is already planning to increase the transportation of goods around the harbor and estuary with its Blue Highways plan.
—Terri Carta, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for estuary
Cite this Entry
“Estuary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/estuary. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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estuary
noun
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