as in bays
a part of a body of water that extends beyond the general shoreline
went fishing in the quiet inlets of the coast
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Recent Examples of inlets
Daily, overnight or tailor‑made multi-day cruises are guided by multilingual crews with customizable itineraries across quaint seaside villages and secret inlets.
—
Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
Historically, the Norwegians would capture whales in narrow inlets, according to Ancient Origins.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 22 Mar. 2026
The three boats were almost home, sailing the last few dozen miles before disappearing into Maine’s unchartable maze of inlets and bays.
—Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2026
Small craft should exercise caution near inlets due to incoming long-period swells.
—Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2026
Stewart looks inside the nozzles and inlets, cleaning them in and out.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 13 Feb. 2026
From inlets covered in neon-green algae, snow-white egrets took flight over ships stacked with thousands of brightly colored containers—imagine a mash-up of Gauguin and Mondrian.
—John Bowe, Travel + Leisure, 1 Feb. 2026
All storm drain inlets have been inspected, up from 85% the previous year.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
Drainage inlets in the area will be reconstructed as well, the announcement says.
—Laura Fay, CBS News, 30 Nov. 2025
Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
Historically, the Norwegians would capture whales in narrow inlets, according to Ancient Origins.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 22 Mar. 2026
The three boats were almost home, sailing the last few dozen miles before disappearing into Maine’s unchartable maze of inlets and bays.
—Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2026
Small craft should exercise caution near inlets due to incoming long-period swells.
—Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2026
Stewart looks inside the nozzles and inlets, cleaning them in and out.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 13 Feb. 2026
From inlets covered in neon-green algae, snow-white egrets took flight over ships stacked with thousands of brightly colored containers—imagine a mash-up of Gauguin and Mondrian.
—John Bowe, Travel + Leisure, 1 Feb. 2026
All storm drain inlets have been inspected, up from 85% the previous year.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
Drainage inlets in the area will be reconstructed as well, the announcement says.
—Laura Fay, CBS News, 30 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inlets
Noun
-
The airport, which opened to commercial traffic in 1939, covers 680 acres (275 hectares) and borders Flushing and Bowery bays in Queens.—
Jake Offenhartz,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The airport, which opened to commercial traffic in 1939, covers 680 acres and borders Flushing and Bowery bays in Queens.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In a new study, Daniel Petras, a biochemist at UC Riverside — together with 29 researchers from around the world — looked at 2,315 seawater samples collected from estuaries, coastal regions, coral reefs and the open ocean.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Take an ecotour with Pawleys Island Guide Services to explore the marshes, deltas, tidal creeks, and estuaries that wind their way around the island.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inlets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inlets. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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