tributary
/ˈtrɪbjəˌtɛri/
noun
- A river or stream that flows into a larger river or lake.
- We followed a small tributary through the forest until it joined the main river.
- Many tributaries feed into the Amazon, making it the largest river by volume.
- The Missouri River is a major tributary of the Mississippi.
Antonyms
adjective
- Describing a river or stream that flows into a larger body of water.
- The map shows all the tributary streams that feed the lake.
- They studied the tributary system of the Nile.
- Tributary rivers often carry sediment that builds up deltas.