sediment
Americannoun
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the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid; lees; dregs.
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Geology. mineral or organic matter deposited by water, air, or ice.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid
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material that has been deposited from water, ice, or wind
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Geology Solid fragmented material, such as silt, sand, gravel, chemical precipitates, and fossil fragments, that is transported and deposited by water, ice, or wind or that accumulates through chemical precipitation or secretion by organisms, and that forms layers on the Earth's surface. Sedimentary rocks consist of consolidated sediment.
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Particles of solid matter that settle out of a suspension to the bottom of the liquid.
Other Word Forms
- sedimentous adjective
- self-sedimented adjective
Etymology
Origin of sediment
1540–50; < Latin sedimentum, equivalent to sedi- (combining form of sedēre to sit 1, settle) + -mentum -ment
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The water that poured out of the lake picked up stones, sand and other sediment as it flowed through the rocky mountain channels, triggering a series of landslides along the way.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
These deposits formed when animals that died on the surface were washed into underground cavities, where they were eventually buried by sediment.
From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2026
“Post-fire impacts can change over time, depending on rainfalls, runoffs and sediment movements,” said Eugenia Ermacora, manager of the nonprofit Surfrider Foundation’s L.A. chapter, which has partnered with Held’s team to collect samples.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026
The sediment just beneath the wrinkles contained elevated carbon levels, which often indicate a biological origin.
From Science Daily • Mar. 8, 2026
The dark line of the horizon is far in the distance, the sky above it lighter, like layers of sediment in rock.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
