subsidence
Britishnoun
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the act or process of subsiding or the condition of having subsided
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geology the gradual sinking of landforms to a lower level as a result of earth movements, mining operations, etc
Vocabulary lists containing subsidence
Plate Tectonics - Middle School
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Earth Science - Middle School
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Earth Science - High School
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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 system can measure movements as small as a few millimeters caused by slow geological processes such as landslides or ground subsidence.
From Science Daily • Mar. 8, 2026
She said the couple who lived there had both died and the property was affected by subsidence caused by tree roots.
From BBC • Jan. 26, 2026
Buildings and water pipes are beginning to crack because of land subsidence.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 16, 2025
"But they are really flat yet prone to human-caused subsidence, so sustained sea level rise could submerge them really fast."
From Science Daily • Oct. 23, 2025
General subsidence of the waterfront, combined with a rise in elevation inland, have erased the city’s original oudines.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
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.
