outwash

noun

out·​wash ˈau̇t-ˌwȯsh How to pronounce outwash (audio)
-ˌwäsh
: detritus consisting chiefly of gravel and sand carried by running water from the melting ice of a glacier and laid down in stratified deposits

Examples of outwash in a Sentence

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.
Half of Brooklyn is on an outwash plain—Prospect Park to Coney Island. — John McPhee, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025 In the image above, glacial flour discolors Scoresby Sound where the outwash plain reaches the water. — Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 17 Oct. 2018 South of the rocky central spine of the island, the fine white sand of the glacial outwash spills into the Atlantic, creating beaches that, over the past century and a half, have drawn wealthy New Yorkers eastward in droves. — Jay McInerney, Travel + Leisure, 30 July 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of outwash was in 1805

Rhymes for outwash

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Browse Nearby Words

outwardness
outwash
outwash cone
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Cite this Entry

“Outwash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outwash. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on outwash

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about outwash

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