sluice

[sloos]

noun

1. an artificial channel for conducting water, often fitted with a gate sluice gate at the upper end for regulating the flow.

2. the body of water held back or controlled by a sluice gate.

3. any contrivance for regulating a flow from or into a receptacle.

4. a channel, especially one carrying off surplus water; drain.

5. a stream of surplus water.

6. an artificial stream or channel of water for moving solid matter.

   a lumbering sluice.

7. Also called sluice box. Mining.,  a long, sloping trough or the like, with grooves on the bottom, into which water is directed to separate gold from gravel or sand.

verb (used with object)

sluiced, sluicing 

1. to let out (water) by or as if by opening a sluice.

2. to drain (a pond, lake, etc.) by or as if by opening a sluice.

3. to open a sluice upon.

4. to flush or cleanse with a rush of water.

   to sluice the decks of a boat.

5. Mining.,  to wash in a sluice.

6. to send (logs) down a sluiceway.

verb (used without object)

sluiced, sluicing 

1. to flow or pour through or as if through a sluice.

sluice

/ sluːs /

noun

1. Also called: sluiceway. a channel that carries a rapid current of water, esp one that has a sluicegate to control the flow

2. the body of water controlled by a sluicegate

3. See sluicegate

4. mining an inclined trough for washing ore, esp one having riffles on the bottom to trap particles

5. an artificial channel through which logs can be floated

6. informal,  a brief wash in running water

verb

1. (tr) to draw out or drain (water, etc) from (a pond, etc) by means of a sluice

2. (tr) to wash or irrigate with a stream of water

3. (tr) mining to wash in a sluice

4. (tr) to send (logs, etc) down a sluice

5. (intr; often foll by away or out) (of water, etc) to run or flow from or as if from a sluice

6. (tr) to provide with a sluice

Other Word Forms

• sluicelike adjective
• undersluice noun
• unsluiced adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sluice¹

1300–50; Middle English scluse (noun) < Old French escluse < Late Latin exclūsa, a water barrier, noun use of feminine of Latin exclūsus, past participle of exclūdere to exclude

Word History and Origins

Origin of sluice¹

C14: from Old French escluse, from Late Latin exclūsa aqua water shut out, from Latin exclūdere to shut out, _exclude

Example Sentences

As the flood sluiced inland, the current was fast and strong enough to drown even the most accomplished swimmer.

Read more on Literature

Dump trucks carried the soil to an immense sluicing operation, where water from two reservoirs washed away dirt to reveal gold nuggets.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

People on social media brandish gold-flecked pans and nuggets while showing off their equipment, ranging from old-fashioned picks to gold-separating sluice boxes.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The action sets sail with a hefty oceanic sequence where Edwards leans on his expertise in sluicing fins and underwater ka-thumps.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Other heavy construction equipment including excavators and sluice and slurry pumps were brought in, as well as technical experts and "several hundred tons of gravel and earth", the US Army said.

Read more on BBC