bourn

noun

ˈbȯrn How to pronounce bourn (audio)
variants or bourne
Definition of bournnext
as in brook
a natural body of running water smaller than a river idyllic days that were spent rambling the length of the bourn that flowed through that peaceful vale

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bourn
  1. brook
  2. creek
Noun
  • Both Maxwell and the brook were headed to the same place, north to Lake Ontario.
    — James Whorton Jr, Longreads, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Was hearing Roland Hayes and, in time, other inspiring artists sing Schubert, Brahms, and Schumann songs like being beckoned by a musical brook to trust her instincts and follow its unlikely path?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of brook
Noun
  • The trailhead was twenty minutes up a rutted jeep track, through a creek and a pine forest.
    — Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The couple remembered going up and down the creek several times looking in the hopes of finding him when he was reported missing.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of creek
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.

Browse Nearby Words

bourgs
bourn
bourne
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Cite this Entry

“Bourn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bourn. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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