rivulet

noun

riv·​u·​let ˈri-vyə-lət How to pronounce rivulet (audio)
-və-
Synonyms of rivuletnext
: a small stream

Synonyms

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Examples of rivulet in a Sentence

small rivulets trickled down the side of the cliff
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The body meld transforms into a mind meld near the end, when each woman shoots streams of shiny water from their eyes, with the separate rivulets crashing into each other to form a floating, fiery disco ball heart. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 10 Mar. 2025 But, as Barak argues, people experience heat not as remotely sensed data points but in rivulets of sweat. — Foreign Affairs, 14 Jan. 2025 Surreal images from the novel that could easily have looked silly on screen—a rivulet of blood winds its way across town, from the home where a character dies to his family’s abode, for example—retain their poetic profundity. — Judy Berman, TIME, 2 Dec. 2024 Steaming rivulets of milky turquoise water flowed in channels beside the roadway. — Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for rivulet

Word History

Etymology

Italian rivoletto, diminutive of rivolo, from Latin rivulus, diminutive of rivus stream — more at run

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rivulet was in 1587

Rhymes for rivulet

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Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Rivulet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rivulet. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

rivulet

noun
riv·​u·​let ˈriv-(y)ə-lət How to pronounce rivulet (audio)
: a small stream

More from Merriam-Webster on rivulet

Nglish: Translation of rivulet for Spanish Speakers

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