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
Jack Truesdale, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2025
Additional scans indicated the presence of sediment resting at the bottom of the bottle.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 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
Shelves extend as long as the sediment covering them is thick enough that oil and gas could plausibly be stashed underneath.
—Jack Truesdale, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2025
Additional scans indicated the presence of sediment resting at the bottom of the bottle.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sediment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sediment
Verb
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Iowa State didn’t have the same problem as the Cyclones began to settle in.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Feb. 2025
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Applying early — before her full retirement age of 67 — means settling for a smaller check.—
Liz Weston,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The Myers home sits in the middle of Strata’s range with soils made up of mostly clay, silt, silty sand and clayey sand.—
Nick Rosenberger,
Idaho Statesman,
17 Feb. 2025
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The main distinction is the type of material involved: mudslides are composed of fine silt and saturated soil, whereas landslides might consist of a combination of dirt and heavier debris, according to the California Department of Education.—
Christopher Cann,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Flashes will filter your Bluesky newsfeed, leaving only photos and videos.—
Will McCurdy,
PCMAG,
8 Feb. 2025
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Other rums are aged and then filtered to remove the color—and in the process, a lot of the flavor as well.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Former Florida State athletic director David Coburn and former school president John Thrasher are scheduled to sit for depositions on Friday in Tallahassee.—
Brendan Marks,
The Athletic,
12 Feb. 2025
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There’s a likelihood that Swift would have to sit for a deposition as part of pre-trial discovery, according to the co-hosts of TMZ’s new legal podcast, Two Angry Men.—
Martha Ross,
The Mercury News,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Dividends get cash into the hands of households, and the attractive yields will draw investors back into the stock market — especially those looking for alternatives to low-yielding bank deposits, said Rayliant Global Advisors’s Hsu.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2025
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There are also apps available to track your deposits on your electronic devices.—
Kay Johnson,
Twin Cities,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Says the report: The calomel is captured as a precipitate and transferred to a mercury recycler who presumably converts it to elemental mercury and sells it into commerce. . . .—
Sallie Tisdale,
Harper's Magazine,
2 Dec. 2024
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As the water increases in temperature, CaCO3 undergoes a chemical reaction and precipitates out of the water, forming incrustants, or little crystals.—
Alyssa Hui,
Verywell Health,
14 Mar. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near sediment
Cite this Entry
“Sediment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sediment. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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