floodplain
noun
flood·plain
ˈfləd-ˌplān 
1
: level land that may be submerged by floodwaters
2
: a plain built up by stream deposition
Examples of floodplain in a Sentence
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The team found that if an earthquake that caused more than six feet of subsidence were to happen today, the 100-year floodplain in estuaries in Cascadia would expand by 115 square miles.
—
Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 30 Apr. 2025
At least 232 barns – housing as many as 5.8 million birds at once – sit in floodplains.
—Gavin Off, Charlotte Observer, 26 Jan. 2025
For the past few decades, the trees that grow in the Mississippi River floodplain, known as floodplain forests, have been struggling.
—Madeline Heim, Journal Sentinel, 21 Nov. 2024
Mississippi River: Threatened by FEMA’s uncertain future and role in guiding floodplain protections and maintaining infrastructure that protects river health.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025
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Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 30 Apr. 2025
At least 232 barns – housing as many as 5.8 million birds at once – sit in floodplains.
—Gavin Off, Charlotte Observer, 26 Jan. 2025
For the past few decades, the trees that grow in the Mississippi River floodplain, known as floodplain forests, have been struggling.
—Madeline Heim, Journal Sentinel, 21 Nov. 2024
Mississippi River: Threatened by FEMA’s uncertain future and role in guiding floodplain protections and maintaining infrastructure that protects river health.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for floodplain
Cite this Entry
“Floodplain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/floodplain. Accessed 18 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
floodplain
noun
flood·plain
-ˌplān
1
: low flat land along a stream or river that may flood
2
: a plain built up from earth left by floodwaters
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