as in headwater
a stream that flows into a larger body of water
the Amazon and its more than 1,000 known tributaries form the world's largest drainage basin
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as in subordinate
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of tributary
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024
The city is named after John Dixon, who operated a rope ferry service across the Rock River, a nearly 300-mile-long tributary of the Mississippi River.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Catherine Porter, New York Times, 6 June 2023
This was a tributary version of the break-up and floe of ice that historically has happened in all the Great Lakes.
—Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 27 Mar. 2023
See all Example Sentences for tributary 
Noun
Next to the rivers of food that flood the modern appetite, risotto is a minor tributary.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024
The city is named after John Dixon, who operated a rope ferry service across the Rock River, a nearly 300-mile-long tributary of the Mississippi River.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
The edges of the country roads are decorated by tributary statues and banners flashing the faces of Allied soldiers who died in the fight.
—Catherine Porter, New York Times, 6 June 2023
This was a tributary version of the break-up and floe of ice that historically has happened in all the Great Lakes.
—Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 27 Mar. 2023
See all Example Sentences for tributary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tributary
Noun
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Helping headwaters:Conservation agreement will protect Upper Verde River, grasslands and a historic ranch Thanks for reading and for subscribing to AZ Climate, the Arizona Republic's weekly environment newsletter.Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 2 Dec. 2024
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What happens upriver in the Upper Klamath Lake, which is considered the headwaters of the Klamath, all the way down to the Pacific Ocean, everything effects everything else.Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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To salvage the 155th Mechanized Brigade, a unit that Ukraine, France and Poland spent months and millions of dollars training and equipping, Ukrainian leaders have begun assigning its fresh but inexperienced subordinate units to the weary but experienced brigades in the Pokrovsk sector.David Axe, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
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Despite a propaganda campaign encouraging all Americans to come together and do their part to defeat the Axis and totalitarianism, the U.S. military remained rigidly segregated with people of color subjugated into subordinate roles and Black soldiers discriminated against abroad and at home.Tracie Canada / Made by History, TIME, 1 Jan. 2025
Noun
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This tuber with lumpy branches, reddish-brown skin and a slightly sweet-ish flavor isn’t a true artichoke at all and has nothing to do with Jerusalem.John Mariani, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
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This tale centers around a road construction project and a Lee’s Summit library branch and includes the city of Lee’s Summit, Mid-Continent Public Library and a local developer.Janice Phelan, Kansas City Star, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
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From the outdoor patio you’ll be surrounded by lush greenery, twinkling string lights, and the gentle, slow-moving waters of the bayou.Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 10 Jan. 2025
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According to the Mail, Lana Del Rey married Dufrene at the same Louisiana bayou where the groom hosts his alligator tours.Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 27 Sep. 2024
Noun
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Its automatic document feeder (ADF) offers single-pass duplexing (two-sided scanning), a necessity for anyone who needs to scan, copy, or fax duplex pages.PCMAG, PCMAG, 18 Jan. 2025
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Even the robot pet feeder came with a premium price tag.Sandy Carter, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Related Articles For the occasion, Good gave wintertime dressing a sensual spin, opting for a coordinated look and complementary jacket.Julia Teti, WWD, 16 Jan. 2025
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By pairing congestion pricing with complementary initiatives like low-emission zones, cities can accelerate their progress toward these goals.Regina Clewlow, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Filming began in May 1972 and took several years to complete, largely because of funding issues (the money came from a variety of sources, including grants, loans from Lynch’s father and friends, including Sissy Spacek, and even Lynch’s own paper route).Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2025
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Instead, this late-stage move risks turning a critical national security priority into a source of division.Emil Sayegh, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Heat stress was listed as a contributory factor to her death.Bayliss Wagner, Austin American-Statesman, 31 July 2024
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The oil and gas companies can raise a contributory negligence defense on two fronts.Ed Hirs, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near tributary
Cite this Entry
“Tributary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tributary. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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