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  Stour

  noun

  a river in S England, in Kent, rising in the Weald and flowing N to the North Sea: separates the Isle of Thanet from the mainland

stour

American  

[stoor] / stʊər /

noun

1. British Dialect.

   1. tumult; confusion.

   2. a storm.

2. British Dialect. blowing dust or a deposit of dust.

3. Archaic. armed combat; battle.

4. British Dialect. a time of tumult.

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Stour ¹ British  

/ staʊə /

noun

1. Also called: Great Stour. a river in S England, in Kent, rising in the Weald and flowing N to the North Sea: separates the Isle of Thanet from the mainland

2. any of several smaller rivers in England

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stour ² British  

/ staʊə, stuːr /

noun

1. turmoil or conflict

2. dust; a cloud of dust

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Etymology

Origin of stour

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French estour battle < Germanic; akin to storm

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stour Stour

Whatreck, a' the stour cam to naething; Sae Symon, and Janet his dame, Hale skart frae the wars, without skaithing, Gaed bannin' the French again hame.

From The Modern Scottish Minstrel, Volume I. The Songs of Scotland of the past half century by Charles Rogers

O. N. ou, Dan. ö: blout, bare; douff, dull; gowk, a fool; haugh, a knoll; loup, to 76run; louse, loose; nout, cattle; rowt, to roar; rowst, to cry out; stowp, a beaker; stour, a pole.

From Scandinavian influence on Southern Lowland Scotch by George Tobias Flom

A single knight was doing battle with all them that would fain have entered into a ship, and held stour so stiffly against them that he toppled the more part into the sea.

From The High History of the Holy Graal by Sebastian Evans

Wee, modest, crimson-tippèd flower, Thou'st met me in an evil hour; For I must crush amongst the stour Thy slender stem.

From The plant-lore & garden-craft of Shakespeare by Henry Nicholson Ellacombe

Thus the stour lasted until evening, until that the night sundered them.

From The High History of the Holy Graal by Sebastian Evans

Helicopters, dog units and members of the public had been scouring the area, close to the River Stour on the Essex border.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Helicopters, dog units and members of the public had been scouring the area, close to the estuary of the River Stour on the Essex border.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 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

During his career he produced many paintings of the Suffolk countryside and around the River Stour, which helped give the area the name, Constable Country.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

He tells of an early removal at the age of five to Canterbury, to a fine old house whose garden ran down to the River Stour.

From George Alfred Henty The Story of an Active Life by George Manville Fenn

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