as in to settle
to cause to come to rest at the bottom (as of a liquid)
the water flowing into the reservoir is sedimenting silt faster than was originally expected
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in silt
matter that settles to the bottom of a body of liquid
the sediment at the bottom of the river needs to be routinely dredged so that it doesn't interfere with barge traffic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sediment
Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
The team observed the octopuses launch objects and sediment several body lengths away.
—Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Sep. 2021
Amelia Wu, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2025
The reddish rock formed billions of years ago from sediment on the bottom of a lake in Jezero Crater, which represents what researchers believes is one of the best places to find evidence that Earth's planetary neigbhor was ever home to life.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sediment
Verb
The exploration data collected to-date indicates that previous historical open pit heap leaching operations did not advance their plans to develop attractive, wide, shallow gold-silver mineralization hosted in major structural zones in the Bisbee Group sediments west of the Contention Pit.
—Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
The team observed the octopuses launch objects and sediment several body lengths away.
—Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Sep. 2021
Noun
Forests and meadows can reduce the amount of sediment and particles going into the lake, allowing for better clarity.
—Amelia Wu, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2025
The reddish rock formed billions of years ago from sediment on the bottom of a lake in Jezero Crater, which represents what researchers believes is one of the best places to find evidence that Earth's planetary neigbhor was ever home to life.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sediment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sediment
Verb
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At the plaza, Seth Teasdale was nearby as Kirk flung some caps into the crowd, then settled into his seat under the canopy to take questions.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
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The Cortège gestures toward that transcendence, but too often settles for the kind of veiled enchantment that follows us home through our screens.—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Howell said a silt protection barrier on the street near the construction site became clogged, leading to an overflow of water.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Sep. 2025
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The flood left a silt dirt behind, which can be home to these tiny flies that lay their eggs in organic matter typically found in sewer or piping systems.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This includes serving as a sewage station for your body—filtering and detoxing your blood, breaking down old red blood cells and recycling their iron—and a manufacturing plant of sorts—making key proteins and immune system cells, storing vitamins and minerals and processing your nutrients.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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Through this aperture, sunlight could filter all the way down to the church floor.—
D. T. Max,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Wayfarer Parties previously requested Swift’s deposition in May 2025 before ultimately withdrawing the subpoena.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
13 Sep. 2025
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Also Friday morning in Washington, Biden White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was giving a deposition in the Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s investigation into former President Biden’s fitness for office.—
The Hill,
The Hill,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Ahead of the decision, markets had been pricing in an around 99% chance of the ECB's key deposit facility rate being left at 2% for the second consecutive time.—
Sophie Kiderlin,
CNBC,
11 Sep. 2025
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The bank’s total assets sit at $404 million, with $361 million in deposits.—
Matthew Geiger,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The new high-pressure acid leaching smelter will produce 66,000 tons of nickel in mixed hydroxide precipitate each year when completed, using nickel ore from Vale Indonesia’s mines.—
Yessar Rosendar,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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While the faithful typically congregate in St. Peter's Square daily during the conclave, the public signal that a pontiff has been chosen precipitates a surge of observers rushing to be among the first to see the new pope in person.—
Christopher Watson,
ABC News,
8 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sediment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sediment. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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