sediment
1 of 2noun
sed·i·ment ˈse-də-mənt 
1
: the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid
2
: material deposited by water, wind, or glaciers
sediment
2 of 2verb
sed·i·ment ˈse-də-ˌment
sedimented; sedimenting; sediments
transitive verb
: to deposit as sediment
intransitive verb
1
: to settle to the bottom in a liquid
2
: to deposit sediment
Synonyms
Noun
- deposit
- deposition
- dregs
- grounds
- precipitate
- settlings
Verb
- lay
- settle
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun There was a layer of sediment in the bottom of the tank. the sediment at the bottom of the river needs to be routinely dredged so that it doesn't interfere with barge traffic Verb the water flowing into the reservoir is sedimenting silt faster than was originally expected
Recent Examples on the Web
Matt Pawlik, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2022 The river also appears to be building a waterfall over a sediment deposit upstream of the North Wash takeout, threatening further complications. AZCentral.com, 6 Sep. 2022 Great plumes of glacial sediment are swirling along the coast, actually adding land along the edges of the island. WIRED, 3 Sep. 2022 Virginia has reached 75 percent of the 2025 reduction goal for nitrogen, 68 percent of the reduction goal for phosphorus and 100 percent of the reduction goal for sediment, the foundation found. Antonio Olivo, Washington Post, 12 July 2022 For the next three years, the team collected sediment samples from the lake to construct a climate record representing the past 2,000 years. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 24 Mar. 2022 Healthy bivalve beds create structure that acts as a foundation for benthic habitat and holds sediment in place. Katherine Rapin, WIRED, 27 Aug. 2022 Traditional fining agents, which help remove sediment that can’t be removed by filtration, are what typically make a wine unsuitable for vegans. Kate Kassin, Bon Appétit, 21 Aug. 2022 Mrvan was on hand to tour the work on the Confined Disposal Facility where contaminated sediment from the first dredging of the IHC in 40 years is stored. Carrie Napoleon And Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2022 Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Sep. 2021 The cores, presented here today at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America, were captured at the farthest extent of the ash’s reach, recorded as wisps of tephra in finely sedimented, ancient mud uplifted near the ocean floor. Paul Voosen, Science | AAAS, 25 Oct. 2017 See More
Noun
An effect of the snowball earth, there was the juxtaposition of 635-million-year-old glacial-origin sediment directly below a 10,000-year-old tropical reef environment. Matt Pawlik, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2022 The river also appears to be building a waterfall over a sediment deposit upstream of the North Wash takeout, threatening further complications. AZCentral.com, 6 Sep. 2022 Great plumes of glacial sediment are swirling along the coast, actually adding land along the edges of the island. WIRED, 3 Sep. 2022 Virginia has reached 75 percent of the 2025 reduction goal for nitrogen, 68 percent of the reduction goal for phosphorus and 100 percent of the reduction goal for sediment, the foundation found. Antonio Olivo, Washington Post, 12 July 2022 For the next three years, the team collected sediment samples from the lake to construct a climate record representing the past 2,000 years. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 24 Mar. 2022 Healthy bivalve beds create structure that acts as a foundation for benthic habitat and holds sediment in place. Katherine Rapin, WIRED, 27 Aug. 2022 Traditional fining agents, which help remove sediment that can’t be removed by filtration, are what typically make a wine unsuitable for vegans. Kate Kassin, Bon Appétit, 21 Aug. 2022 Mrvan was on hand to tour the work on the Confined Disposal Facility where contaminated sediment from the first dredging of the IHC in 40 years is stored. Carrie Napoleon And Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2022 Verb
The team observed the octopuses launch objects and sediment several body lengths away. Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Sep. 2021 The cores, presented here today at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America, were captured at the farthest extent of the ash’s reach, recorded as wisps of tephra in finely sedimented, ancient mud uplifted near the ocean floor. Paul Voosen, Science | AAAS, 25 Oct. 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Latin sedimentum settling, from sedēre to sit, sink down
First Known Use
Noun
1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1859, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Kids Definition
sediment
noun
sed·i·ment ˈse-də-mənt
1
: the material from a liquid that settles to the bottom
2
: material (as stones and sand) carried onto land or into water by water, wind, or a glacier
Medical Definition
sediment 1 of 2
noun
sed·i·ment ˈsed-ə-mənt
: the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid
sediment
2 of 2transitive verb
sed·i·ment -ˌment
: to deposit as sediment
the synaptosomes were sedimented by centrifugation
intransitive verb
1
: to settle to the bottom in a liquid
let the red blood cells sediment for 30 minutes
2
: to deposit sediment
sedimented
verb
as in settled
to cause to come to rest at the bottom (as of a liquid) the water flowing into the reservoir is sedimenting silt faster than was originally expected Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- settled
- filtered
- laid
- sieved
- cleared
- strained
- sifted
- clarified
- screened
- resettled
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- mixed
- raised
- stirred
- disturbed
- agitated
- lighthouses
- lighting
- lighting (on or upon)
- lighting (up)
- lighting (upon)
- lighting into
- lighting on or upon
- lighting out
- lighting up
- lighting upon
- lightings
- lightish
- lightkeeper
- lightkeepers
- lightless
- lightlessness
- lightlessnesses
- lightlier
- lightliest
- lightly
- lightness
- lightnesses
- lightning
- lightning arrester
- lightning bug