as in bay
a part of a body of water that extends beyond the general shoreline
the city sits on the shores of a deep estuary where the Hudson River meets the Atlantic Ocean
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of estuary
At the reserve, otters have almost wiped the crabs out, helping the estuary's ecosystem come back into balance.
'Tis the season for some good reading
What NFL games are on Christmas?
—
Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024
Restoration of the two estuaries will greatly affect biodiversity in the coastal area in front of Xala.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
Unlike other moray eels that are brightly colored and live in primarily saltwater environments, Hades’ snake moray can be found in estuaries across southern Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, southern Java, and Fiji.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 2 Jan. 2025
Green crab abundance was consistently lowest in Elkhorn Slough, the only California estuary with sea otters, the paper published in the journal Biological Invasions found.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for estuary 
Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024
Restoration of the two estuaries will greatly affect biodiversity in the coastal area in front of Xala.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
Unlike other moray eels that are brightly colored and live in primarily saltwater environments, Hades’ snake moray can be found in estuaries across southern Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, southern Java, and Fiji.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 2 Jan. 2025
Green crab abundance was consistently lowest in Elkhorn Slough, the only California estuary with sea otters, the paper published in the journal Biological Invasions found.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for estuary
Thesaurus Entries Near estuary
Cite this Entry
“Estuary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/estuary. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share