as in headwaters
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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Recent Examples of tributaries
The river flows from tributaries in the Greensboro area to the Atlantic Ocean.
—
Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
The property has over a mile of frontage along the Fall River and controls the Spring and Lava creek tributaries.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2026
Vast stretches of suburban concrete block its natural drainage, and thousands of homes have been built along its winding, sluggish tributaries.
—Dominic Boyer, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2026
Khartoum, a metropolis of 7 million, sits at the confluence of tributaries, a sort of Pittsburgh-on-the-Nile.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
The state socks rainbow, golden, brown, and brook trout in many of the New River tributaries like Glade Creek, Dunloup Creek, Laurel Creek, Mill Creek, and Meadow Creek each spring.
—Jordan Charbonneau, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2026
On the Columbia River and its tributaries, the party had to dig out five new canoes and then paddle them through treacherous rapids.
—Craig Fehrman, Space.com, 6 Apr. 2026
That matters because snowpack makes up the bulk of the state’s water supply; Colorado is heavily dependent on surface water in rivers and tributaries fed by melting snow in the soaring Rocky Mountains, in addition to backup supplies in reservoirs.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2026
The property features over a mile of frontage along Fall River and controls two of the river’s primary spring-fed tributaries — Spring Creek and Lava Creek, according to Hall and Hall.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
The property has over a mile of frontage along the Fall River and controls the Spring and Lava creek tributaries.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2026
Vast stretches of suburban concrete block its natural drainage, and thousands of homes have been built along its winding, sluggish tributaries.
—Dominic Boyer, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2026
Khartoum, a metropolis of 7 million, sits at the confluence of tributaries, a sort of Pittsburgh-on-the-Nile.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
The state socks rainbow, golden, brown, and brook trout in many of the New River tributaries like Glade Creek, Dunloup Creek, Laurel Creek, Mill Creek, and Meadow Creek each spring.
—Jordan Charbonneau, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2026
On the Columbia River and its tributaries, the party had to dig out five new canoes and then paddle them through treacherous rapids.
—Craig Fehrman, Space.com, 6 Apr. 2026
That matters because snowpack makes up the bulk of the state’s water supply; Colorado is heavily dependent on surface water in rivers and tributaries fed by melting snow in the soaring Rocky Mountains, in addition to backup supplies in reservoirs.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2026
The property features over a mile of frontage along Fall River and controls two of the river’s primary spring-fed tributaries — Spring Creek and Lava Creek, according to Hall and Hall.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tributaries
Noun
-
Already primed for catastrophe, townspeople’s discovery that developers had quietly targeted Acton for multiple battery projects stoked fears of industrial blight, fire and contamination of residential water wells and the nearby headwaters of Southern California’s last free-flowing river.—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
-
That’s less than half the typical spring flows during planting season, due to the low snowpack in the mountains west of Leadville above the headwaters of the Arkansas River.—
Bruce Finley,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Things changed in 2015 when women could finally serve in combat in all branches, so lawyers started filing cases to overturn Rostker.—
Wendy Murphy,
Boston Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Use them to dress up walls or decorate tree branches.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
On that note, the ACRC survey reported that 52% of affluents were disappointed with the options presented by luxury brands.—
Pamela N. Danziger,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Karr says one benefit of placing feeders by the window is that squirrels can’t usually get to them.—
Lauren David,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Feed the Tomatoes Tomatoes are heavy feeders, especially in containers.—
Michelle Mastro,
The Spruce,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
April 25, 2026 Less than a week after making his major-league debut on April 3, the shortstop signed a team-record nine-year extension that league sources confirmed to The Athletic is for $140 million and could be worth up to $150 million with performance escalators.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The victim was charged with disorderly conduct and trespass, but both charges were later dropped, sources said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tributaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tributaries. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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