bayou

noun

ˈbī-(ˌ)ü How to pronounce bayou (audio)
Definition of bayounext
as in tributary
a stream that flows into a larger body of water a small creek that is the bayou of a larger stream

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 bayou Goaded on by a governor, who handpicked the university president and staged a coup to overthrow one athletic director in order to hire Kiffin, the bayou bandits are proudly wearing their black hats. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026 Henley was raised in a tiny Texas town bound by bayou and pine, the same place that produced Scott Joplin and T-Bone Walker. — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026 Now the sound was muffled from the hunters as the dogs passed around a canebrake wall bordered by a dark bayou. — Paul Schullery, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026 Day One of the conference was unfortunately a bit muted this time around as Tropical Storm Bertha ripped across the Gulf Coast, unleashing its power across the Louisiana bayou. — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for bayou
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bayou
tributary
Noun
  • As a whole, dispersed across the World Wide Web, its river and tributaries, the words and images and videos form a new corpus of word and art.
    — Sam Kestenbaum, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Viewed from the waters of Turner Creek, a serpentine tributary east of Savannah, the dock stretches so far across the marsh that even those with 20-20 vision must squint to see where planking meets terra firma.
    — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of tributary

Browse Nearby Words

bayonets
bayou
bayous
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bayou.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bayou. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All