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.
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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.