trib ‧ u ‧ ta ‧ ry /ˈtrɪbjət ə ri, ˈtrɪbjʊt ə ri $ -teri/ BrE AmE noun ( plural tributaries ) [countable]
a stream or river that flows into a larger river
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THESAURUS
▪ river a line of water that flows into the sea:
They crossed the river by ferry.
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the River Tweed
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the Yangtze river
▪ tributary a stream or river that flows into a larger river:
The River Trombetas is a tributary of the River Amazon.
▪ estuary the wide part of a river where it goes into the sea:
plans to build a big new airport on the Thames estuary
▪ canal a long passage dug into the ground and filled with water, either for boats to travel along, or to take water to a place:
Venice’s famous canals
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a canal boat
▪ delta an area of low land where a river spreads into many smaller rivers near the sea:
the Nile delta