floodplain

noun

flood·​plain ˈfləd-ˌplān How to pronounce floodplain (audio)
1
: level land that may be submerged by floodwaters
2
: a plain built up by stream deposition

Examples of floodplain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While many homeowners are aware of the risks associated with living in floodplains or wildfire-prone areas, fewer understand how climate change might amplify these threats in ways that make traditional assumptions about risk obsolete. Monica Sanders, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 More:The Mississippi River's floodplain forests are dying. Madeline Heim, Journal Sentinel, 21 Nov. 2024 The McKenzie Watershed Alliance, an environmental organization out of Springfield, was awarded $8.5 million in federal funding to restore floodplains along the Willamette River, which will in turn aid species like the Chinook salmon, bull trout and Pacific lamprey. Axios Portland, Axios, 30 July 2024 As frustration continues to mount over sprawling homeless camps in nearly every corner of the Bay Area, the state is stepping in with millions of dollars to move people from city sidewalks, parks and floodplains across the region and into shelter and housing. Ethan Varian, The Mercury News, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for floodplain 

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of floodplain was in 1873

Dictionary Entries Near floodplain

Cite this Entry

“Floodplain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/floodplain. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

floodplain

noun
flood·​plain -ˌplān How to pronounce floodplain (audio)
1
: low flat land along a stream or river that may flood
2
: a plain built up from earth left by floodwaters

More from Merriam-Webster on floodplain

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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