arroyo

noun

Definition of arroyonext
as in runoff

Related Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of arroyo This crystal-clear waterway is home to multiple species of fish, including rainbow trout and the (adorable) arroyo chub. — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026 At one still-damp arroyo, the cast-concrete components of a bridge had been tumbled 50 yards downstream from their foundation. — Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026 And while our street was close enough to the national forest that bears and bobcats were not uncommon sights, it was also separated from it by a dry arroyo and five blocks of houses in between. — Josh Eells, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2025 Officials said Sturluson, 23 – who was experiencing homelessness – was shot May 1 after asking the teen and Curtis to stop firing into a arroyo, or dry creek, that was close by. — Sara Schilling, Sacbee.com, 12 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for arroyo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arroyo
  1. runoff
  2. brook
  3. creek
  4. fresh
  5. freshet
  6. rivulet
  7. rill
  8. coulee
Noun
  • The State Department on Tuesday congratulated conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori after she was declared the winner of Peru’s presidential runoff election by a razor-thin margin.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
  • Hypoxia in the Long Island Sound, which usually occurs in the summer, is when bottom water oxygen levels fall to a critical low percentage due to nitrogen from water runoff and backyard fertilizer use.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 29 June 2026
Definition of runoff
Noun
  • There's one spot on Richard's land where the Guadalupe slows to a babbling brook at the base of a tree.
    — Bo Evans, CBS News, 2 July 2026
  • In addition to canceling outside noise, the headphones provide crisp audio and relaxing white-noise options, including rainy parks and babbling brooks.
    — Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 23 June 2026
Definition of brook
Noun
  • Locally heavy rain will quickly reduce visibility and result in ponding of water on roadways, standing water in low lying areas, and minor flooding of creeks, streams, and areas of poor drainage.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 5 July 2026
  • In Hardin County, a juvenile died after a car overturned in a flooded creek, WAVE 3 News reported.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 29 June 2026
Definition of creek
Noun
  • Similar to the millennial mint that's been making the rounds, Tiffany blue brings the same fresh, uplifting energy with a slightly more luxe feel.
    — Amanda Le, InStyle, 15 June 2026
  • The Dodgers’ bullpen, on the other hand, which closed May fresh off a franchise-record 38 consecutive scoreless innings, just can’t seem to stop the bleeding.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 14 June 2026
Definition of fresh
Noun
  • The Hudson River had a little current, fed by freshets from upstream with local rains, and melting snow farther up, in the Adirondacks.
    — Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2020
  • As August turned to September, the sun dropped and the first cold freshet of autumn rainwater flowed out of the mountains and tickled the noses of the salmon waiting off Astoria, where the Columbia meets the Pacific Ocean.
    — Patrick Symmes, Harper's magazine, 28 Oct. 2019
Definition of freshet
Noun
  • There were new sunspots and rivulet lines over her face, like an aerial map.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 June 2026
  • His uniform and scalp were lined with glistening rivulets of oil, water, soot and sweat.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
Definition of rivulet
Noun
  • Those residents might also like to see the name of Indian Creek, another rill which traverses the county, given a new designation.
    — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
  • His verses evoke sacred rivers, fertile grounds and gardens bright with sinuous rills—a lyrical world beyond the inauspicious reality of its start-point.
    — Natalie Hoberman, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Definition of rill
Noun
  • Unlike most of the relatively flat Dakota prairie, the Missouri breaks that make up much of Sutton Bay’s landscape create an assortment of coulees with cattail bottoms, perfect lairs to hide the shifty late-season pheasants.
    — Chris Dorsey, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
  • Atop that mesa, hidden in a sandstone coulee, our campfire burned a hole in the darkness.
    — Outdoor Life, Outdoor Life, 6 Nov. 2020
Definition of coulee

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Cite this Entry

“Arroyo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arroyo. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on arroyo

Nglish: Translation of arroyo for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about arroyo

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