river

noun

riv·​er ˈri-vər 

often attributive

1

a

: a natural stream of water of usually considerable volume

b

: watercourse

2

a

: something resembling a river

a river of lava

b

rivers plural : large or overwhelming quantities

drank rivers of coffee

Phrases

up the river

: to or in prison

was sent up the river

Examples of river in a Sentence

The raft is too small to use on this part of the river.

Rivers of mud flowed down the hillside.

Recent Examples on the Web

In Ohio, the weather service issued flood warnings for areas along the banks of some of Cincinnati's prominent rivers. —Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2025

Flash flooding and river flooding has been a major problem across Arkansas with many areas already saturated. —Amir Mahmoud, Arkansas Online, 5 Apr. 2025

Major rivers expecting significant water level rises include the Ohio, Wabash, White, St. Francis, Kentucky and Tennessee rivers, AccuWeather said. —Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025

Knee-deep in a river of northern Thailand, scientists scooped up some sand with a net and sifted through it. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English rivere, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *riparia, from Latin, feminine of riparius riparian, from ripa bank, shore; perhaps akin to Greek ereipein to tear down

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing river

• atmospheric river
• down the river
• mouth of the river
• river blindness
• river dolphin
• river duck
• river horse
• river mouth
• river otter
• river's mouth
• sell down the river

Rhymes for river

• giver
• liver
• livre
• quiver
• shiver
• sliver
• caregiver
• deliver
• downriver
• lawgiver
• upriver

Kids Definition

river

noun

riv·​er ˈriv-ər 

1

: a natural stream of water larger than a brook or creek

2

: a large stream or flow

the jet stream is a river of air

Etymology

Middle English rivere "river," from early French rivere (same meaning), derived from Latin riparius "related to or located on the bank of a river," from ripa "shore"