inlet

noun

in·​let ˈin-ˌlet 

-lət

1

a

: a bay or recess in the shore of a sea, lake, or river

also : creek

b

: a narrow water passage between peninsulas or through a barrier island leading to a bay or lagoon

2

: a way of entering

especially : an opening for intake

Synonyms

• arm
• bay
• bight
• cove
• creek [chiefly British]
• embayment
• estuary
• firth
• fjord
• fiord
• gulf
• loch [Scottish]

Examples of inlet in a Sentence

The coast is dotted with tiny inlets.

went fishing in the quiet inlets of the coast

Recent Examples on the Web

Icy Repose by Sue Flood A Weddell seal reclines on an ice floe in Neko Harbor, an inlet on the Antarctic Peninsula. —Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2025

To explain the difference between Tesla's system and CCS, Sun holds up a chunk of black plastic with round holes in it — the charging inlet of a vehicle on the CCS system. —Camila Domonoske, NPR, 22 Nov. 2024

Waln was discovered in the woods of the recreation area, a small park off an inlet of Percy Priest Lake. —Kirsten Fiscus, The Tennessean, 13 Dec. 2024

Coho and especially Chinook salmon stocks spiked this year in Vancouver Island and its inlets, according to the Pacific Salmon Foundation, after years of downturn. —Jules Struck, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from its letting water in

First Known Use

circa 1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

inlet

noun

in·​let ˈin-ˌlet 

-lət

1

: a small or narrow bay

2

: an opening for intake especially of fluids

Medical Definition

inlet

noun

in·​let ˈin-ˌlet, -lət 

: the upper opening of a bodily cavity

especially : that of the cavity of the true pelvis bounded by the pelvic brim