estuary

American  

[es-choo-er-ee] / ˈɛs tʃuˌɛr i /

noun

• estuaries
  plural

1. that part of the mouth or lower course of a river in which the river's current meets the sea's tide.

2. an arm or inlet of the sea at the lower end of a river.

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estuary British  

/ ˈɛstjʊərɪ /

noun

1. the widening channel of a river where it nears the sea, with a mixing of fresh water and salt (tidal) water

2. an inlet of the sea

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estuary Scientific  

/ ĕs′cho̅o̅-ĕr′ē /

1. The wide lower course of a river where it flows into the sea. Estuaries experience tidal flows and their water is a changing mixture of fresh and salt.

2. An arm of the sea that extends inland to meet the mouth of a river.

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estuary Cultural  

1. A wide body of water formed where a large river meets the sea. It contains both fresh and salt water.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• estuarial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• estuaries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of estuary

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin aestuārium “channel, creek, inlet,” from aestu(s) “fire, heat, tide” + -ārium -ary

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Explanation

An estuary is the place in the water where a tide and a river current meet, like the estuary at New York Harbor, where the Hudson River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Estuary, pronounced "ES-choo-air-ee," comes from the Latin word aestuarium, meaning "a tidal marsh or opening." The calm waters of an estuary, where the mouth of a river connects with the open sea and fresh water mixes with salty ocean water, makes the perfect home for many species of aquatic plants and animals. Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound are estuaries.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

estuary estuaries

He said the measure of the plan’s success “will be how these rivers and our incredible estuary look in the years ahead.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

A helicopter has been pictured flying over the scene, which is near the estuary of the River Stour and close to the Essex border.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Around river mouths, the distance extends to 500 meters from the estuary.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

“We are starving the Bay-Delta estuary now, and we know that that needs to change if we actually want to preserve that ecosystem and all the benefits it provides,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

The town lay on a broad estuary, its old yellow plastered buildings hugging the beach.

From "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck

They placed groups of these tiles in three estuaries in the Sydney region, Brisbane Water, the Hawkesbury River and Port Hacking, near existing oyster reefs where larvae are present.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 6, 2026

"There are nowhere near enough river sample measurements to quantify inputs to estuaries along the entire Alaskan North Slope."

From Science Daily ● Apr. 4, 2026

They include programmes that track chemical pollution in rivers, lakes and estuaries as well as one that monitors the regulator's plans for dealing with drought.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2025

The Florida Everglades are a unique environmental region comprising marshes, prairies, forests, mangroves and estuaries.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2025

This has to do with the fishes of salt marshes, bays, and estuaries.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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Related Words

• inlet
• waterway

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