estuary
noun
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A partly enclosed coastal body of water in which river water is mixed with seawater is called an estuary. An estuary is thus defined by salinity rather than geography. Many coastal features designated by other names are in fact estuaries (for instance, Chesapeake Bay). Some of the oldest continuous civilizations have flourished in estuarine environments (for example, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the Nile delta, and the Ganges delta). Cities such as London (Thames River), New York (Hudson River), and Montreal (St. Lawrence River) developed on estuaries and became important commercial centers.
Examples of estuary in a Sentence
Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 19 Feb. 2025
Vibrio vulnificus thrives in estuaries when temperatures exceed 18°C and salinities range from 10–20 ppt.
—John Drake, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
But this food, with its many cultural threads, also led my mind around the city, reminding me of restaurants that help define Los Angeles, feeding its greatness like estuaries.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
The area around it is a unique and delicate ecosystem that includes estuaries and coastal grasslands, mud flats and more, where falcons, hawks, ravens, gulls and songbirds live.
—Robert A. Kopack, The Conversation, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for estuary
Cite this Entry
“Estuary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/estuary. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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estuary
noun
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