floodplain

noun

Definition of floodplainnext
1
as in basin

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2
as in grassland

Related Words

Example 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 floodplain At first Weinstein couldn’t process his alarm—her house sits on a hillside, well off the 100-year floodplain—or the sight of other neighbors in her yard in their soaking pajamas. — Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026 Federal flood insurance’s moral hazards The National Flood Insurance Program was established by Congress in 1968 to provide affordable flood insurance to the public while encouraging floodplain management. — Ivis García, The Conversation, 1 June 2026 Salmon numbers have declined due to dams, which have blocked off their spawning areas; the loss of floodplain habitat; and global warming, which is intensifying drought and heating rivers. — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2026 The dinosaur roamed across what is now Montana and Wyoming, and across the western United States, which most likely looked like the Louisiana floodplain all those millions of years ago. — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 20 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for floodplain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floodplain
  1. basin
  2. grassland
  3. canyon
  4. prairie
  5. pothole
  6. savanna
  7. gulch
  8. bottomland
Noun
  • Unlike the Atlantic hurricane basin, the Pacific hurricane basin can be more active during an El Niño, which continues to strengthen.
    — Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Rahman, the independent researcher, said flood planning should follow the natural contours of river basins rather than state and international borders.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of basin
Noun
  • For nature lovers and dog parents, Westminster Hills Open Space is a unique place, offering more than 3,000 acres of land, trails and grasslands.
    — Gabriela Vidal, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The main trail, Arrowhead Loop, is a 4-mile walk that offers a mix of grassland and forests with oak and bay trees.
    — Kalpana Mohan, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of grassland
Noun
  • Canine teams also have been used in the search through steep canyons and dense vegetation.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Defending Big Bend At Santa Elena Canyon, local river guide Billy Miller speaks into a megaphone – his voice slightly bouncing off the canyon walls.
    — Carlos Morales, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of canyon
Noun
  • Women in their 20s and 30s have been drawn to Sézane like moths to a flame, stocking up on the lacey button-downs, knit sweaters, beachy totes and prairie dresses to fill their work and weekend wardrobes.
    — Hilary Milnes, Vogue, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The Argentinian prairie is adorned with imaginary houses, castles and theatres as the young girls construct spontaneous, invisible cities, stories and games in which Koberidze’s likewise unseen characters could live.
    — Manahil Tahira, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of prairie
Noun
  • The Reflecting Pool, the Smithsonian and prairie pothole wetland easements, in readers' eyes.
    — Letters to the Editor, Washington Post, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Orange construction barrels and pothole cones are familiar sights to Michiganders, with the Michigan Department of Transportation managing road construction projects each year.
    — Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of pothole
Noun
  • With a glorious mane of glowing purple gas and dust, the Lion Nebula sparkles on the cosmic savanna in this new image captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • And South Sudan's first World Heritage site, the Boma–Badingilo Migratory Landscape, protects a vast sweep of savanna, wetlands, and floodplains crossed by one of the world's largest terrestrial mammal migrations.
    — Bailey Berg, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of savanna
Noun
  • Plastic waste flutters and settles into gulches, catches in the fencing.
    — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026
  • Head right, and there came public land, the Shasta-Trinity National Forest with its creeks and gulches and two-bit towns like Peanut and Beegum.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 June 2026
Definition of gulch
Noun
  • Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park conserves nearly 13,000 acres of rare hardwood bottomland along the Mississippi River, including eerie bald cypress swamp.
    — CNN.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
  • Southern magnolia is native to moist woodlands and bottomlands along the coastal plains where the seeds are eaten by birds and other wildlife.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2026
Definition of bottomland

Browse Nearby Words

floodlit
floodplain
floodplains
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Cite this Entry

“Floodplain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floodplain. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on floodplain

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about floodplain

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