tributary

American  

[trib-yuh-ter-ee] / ˈtrɪb jəˌtɛr i /

noun

• tributaries
  plural

1. a stream that flows to a larger stream or other body of water.

2. a person or nation that pays tribute in acknowledgment of subjugation or the like.

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adjective

1. (of a stream) flowing into a larger stream or other body of water.

2. furnishing subsidiary aid; contributory.

3. paying or required to pay tribute.

4. paid as tribute.

5. subject; subordinate.

   a tributary nation.

tributary British  

/ -trɪ, ˈtrɪbjʊtərɪ /

noun

1. a stream, river, or glacier that feeds another larger one

2. a person, nation, or people that pays tribute

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adjective

1. (of a stream, etc) feeding a larger stream

2. given or owed as a tribute

3. paying tribute

tributary Scientific  

/ trĭb′yə-tĕr′ē /

1. A stream that flows into a river, a larger stream, or a lake.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nontributary
  adjective
• untributary
  adjective
• tributarily
  adverb
• untributarily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tributaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tributary

1325–75; Middle English (adj. and noun) < Latin tribūtārius of tribute, one who pays tribute. See tribute, -ary

Explanation

A tributary is a branch that flows into the main stream, like the White River, the Arkansas River, the Yazoo River ,and the Red River — each a tributary of the mighty Mississippi. The noun tributary is related to the word tribute and both come from the Latin word tributum, meaning “a thing contributed or paid.” Long ago, a tributary was someone who was forced to pay a person or group in return for protection — namely from those who received the tribute. Today, a tributary is a smaller body of water that flows into a larger one or a contributing factor in something that happens.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tributary tributaries

Beginning in December 1913, at the age of 55, he co-led an expedition to chart a tributary of the Amazon that is today known as the Rio Roosevelt.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

He then founded the Tisza party, named after a tributary of the Danube.

From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026

The tributary of the Potomac River cutting across the land was called Tiber Creek after the river that flowed through the Eternal City.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026

Cleanup teams are skimming and pumping oil from the tributary and deploying absorbent booms and pads to recover oil trapped along the creek bed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2025

Khola virus is named for the Ebola River, which is the headstream of the Mongala River, a tributary, of the Congo, or Zaire, River.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

"Major rainfall flooding may prompt many evacuations and rescues," the NWS said, adding that rivers and tributaries "may rapidly overflow their banks in multiple places".

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Producing rare earths requires heavy chemicals and can produce toxic waste, with cases including illegal operations polluting Mekong tributaries in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia with arsenic and cadmium.

From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026

The Colorado River and its network of tributaries supply water to seven U.S. states and Mexico, supporting drinking water, farming, and hydropower.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 14, 2026

Khartoum, a metropolis of 7 million, sits at the confluence of tributaries, a sort of Pittsburgh-on-the-Nile.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026

Half a dozen of its tributaries would be world-famous rivers anywhere else.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann