Dictionary

riverbed en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• [ˈɹɪv.ɚˌbeː] African-American Vernacular, some speakers
• /ˈɹɪv.əˌbed/ (Australia)
• /ˈɹɪv.ɚˌbɛd/ (General-American)
• /ˈɹɪv.əˌbɛd/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• rĭvʹər-bĕd' (General-American)

Etymology

From river + bed. Compare Dutch rivierbedding (“riverbed”), German Flussbett (“riverbed”), Swedish flodbädd (“riverbed”).

Meanings

1. The path where a river runs, or where a river once ran; the bottom earthen part of a river, not including the riverbanks.
   • Detailed laser surveys carried out by Network Rail revealed that fast-flowing water on the River Eden has caused parts of the riverbed to wash away, posing a risk to the viaduct foundations. 2021 September 8, “Network News: West Coast Main Line viaducts reinforced by underwater concrete”, in RAIL, number 939, page 10:
   • Potential signs of microbial life were found in a rock sample collected by the rover in 2024 from an ancient dry riverbed on Mars' Jezero Crater -- an area of rocky outcrops on the edges the Neretva Vallis, a river valley carved by water rushing to the canyon billions of years ago, NASA officials announced in a press conference on Wednesday. 2025 September 11, Matthew Glasser, Julia Jacobo, “Rock found on Mars could be evidence of ancient life, NASA says”, in ABC News:
   • Near-synonyms: streambed, creekbed
   • The Hang En tour involves a difficult daylong trek over limestone mountain paths and along riverbeds to the remote indigenous village of Ban Doong. 2014 October 31, David W. Lloyd, “Deep in Vietnam, Exploring a Colossal Cave”, in The New York Times:

Forms

Coordinates

lakebed · seabed

Hypernyms

place · location · bed · site · bottom

Relateds

wadi

Synonyms

river bottom · creekbed · streambed

Translations (68)

cv ҫул (a river bottom) · sl koríto (a river bottom) · kpv кырас (a river bottom) · az məcra (a river bottom) · de Flussbett (a river bottom) · uk кори́то (a river bottom) · mi whaiawa (a river bottom) · mk корито (a river bottom) · ja 河床 (a river bottom) · pl koryto (a river bottom) · gl andurbio (a river bottom) · gl madre (a river bottom) · mi whakatakere (a river bottom) · cv варак (a river bottom) · cv юхлӑх (a river bottom) · kpv сёртас (a river bottom) · nl rivierbed (a river bottom) · mhr вӱдкорно (a river bottom) · cs řečiště (a river bottom) · tr akak (a river bottom) · fi joenuoma (a river bottom) · be рэ́чышча (a river bottom) · ca llit (a river bottom) · es lecho (a river bottom) · ru ру́сло (a river bottom) · es cauce (a river bottom) · sh kòrito (a river bottom) · cmn 河槽 (a river bottom) · tr mecra (a river bottom) · koi ӧр (a river bottom) · uk рі́чище (a river bottom) · it alveo (a river bottom) · tt үзән (a river bottom) · sq amull (a river bottom) · tt елга юлы (a river bottom) · it greto (a river bottom) · it letto (a river bottom) · az axacaq (a river bottom) · mi takere (a river bottom) · udm ӧр (a river bottom) · mi kūkūpango (a river bottom) · ro albie (a river bottom) · zle-ort рѣчище (a river bottom) · kpv ю ворга (a river bottom) · ca buc (a river bottom) · ja 川底 (a river bottom) · cmn 河床 (a river bottom) · az çaylaq (a river bottom) · fr lit de rivière (a river bottom) · tr yatak (a river bottom) · fi uoma (a river bottom) · bg кори́то (a river bottom) · mrj вӹд корны (a river bottom) · sjd ва̄ввьл (a river bottom) · ko 하상 (a river bottom) · kpv ковтыс (a river bottom) · nci ānāntli (a river bottom) · pt leito (a river bottom) · nl rivierbedding (a river bottom) · oc mair (a river bottom) · mnc ᡤᠣᠯᠣ (a river bottom) · gl baltrón (a river bottom) · sv flodbädd (a river bottom) · sh ко̀рито (a river bottom) · hu folyómeder (a river bottom) · sk koryto (a river bottom) · uk русло́ (a river bottom) · kk арна (a river bottom)

wikidata: Q1429491