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
N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025
The study found a correlation between the frequency of supernovae over the last 3.5 billion years and the fraction of organic matter buried in Earth’s sediments, suggesting that supernova events may influence Earth’s climate and the development of life.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 27 Feb. 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
The glaciers ground surface rock into fine sediment, which flowed rapidly into the oceans, Archibald said in a statement.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025
The study found a correlation between the frequency of supernovae over the last 3.5 billion years and the fraction of organic matter buried in Earth’s sediments, suggesting that supernova events may influence Earth’s climate and the development of life.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sediment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sediment
Verb
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He’s settled well on Merseyside, building tight bonds with fellow pros like Darwin Núñez and Alexis Mac Allister, and knows the Kop’s rocking song about his path to Merseyside and goalscoring endeavors.—
Henry Flynn,
Forbes,
18 Mar. 2025
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Majors and Jabbari settled the civil suit in November 2024.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
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While Vigna La Delizia enjoys south-east exposure and has soils rich in calcareous marl and clay, Vigna La Villa faces due east and features silt, sand, and clay soils.—
Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen,
Robb Report,
4 Mar. 2025
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Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade Soil Type: Clay, loam, silt, well-draining Soil pH: Acid to neutral (<6.0-7.5) 09 of 11 Hellebores Commonly known as Lenten roses, hellebores are the perfect selection for March blooms.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, a genetically cautious person might be more selective about new experiences, filtering their environment differently.—
Dalton Conley,
TIME,
19 Mar. 2025
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Especially if there is a fire, WebMD suggests using air purifiers or N95 masks or try filtering out the smoke pollutants.—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The letter also asked Carlos Pino to take care of their father, Carlos said during his deposition.—
Catherine Odom,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2025
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This process is repeated many times in a series of etching, doping, and deposition steps to create up to one hundred layers; the patterns in those layers end up defining the circuitry of a computer chip.—
Jayson Stewart,
IEEE Spectrum,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Gold is abundant in the region, which also has rich deposits of rare metals such as coltan, used to make capacitors, and niobium, used to make superalloys for jet engines and hypersonic missiles.—
Emmet Livingstone,
The Dial,
20 Mar. 2025
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Yet, without these natural nitrate deposits, American war efforts would have suffered.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Once completed, the smelter will produce 90,000 tonnes of mixed hydroxide precipitate, a crucial material for making EV batteries.—
Yessar Rosendar,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Sediment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sediment. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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