flood plain
or floodplain
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noun
a nearly flat plain along the course of a stream or river that is naturally subject to flooding.
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Origin of flood plain
First recorded in 1870–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for flood plain
Spring Creek and Union Creek are short and have formed no extensive floodplain.
Fishes of Chautauqua, Cowley and Elk Counties, Kansas|Artie L. Metcalf
British Dictionary definitions for flood plain
flood plain
noun
the flat area bordering a river, composed of sediment deposited during flooding
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for flood plain
floodplain
[ flŭd′plān′ ]
Flat land bordering a river and made up of alluvium (sand, silt, and clay) deposited during floods. When a river overflows, the floodplain is covered with water.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.