tributary
Americannoun
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a stream that flows to a larger stream or other body of water.
-
a person or nation that pays tribute in acknowledgment of subjugation or the like.
adjective
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(of a stream) flowing into a larger stream or other body of water.
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furnishing subsidiary aid; contributory.
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paying or required to pay tribute.
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paid as tribute.
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subject; subordinate.
a tributary nation.
noun
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a stream, river, or glacier that feeds another larger one
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a person, nation, or people that pays tribute
adjective
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(of a stream, etc) feeding a larger stream
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given or owed as a tribute
-
paying tribute
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing tributary
Physical Geography - Introductory
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Physical Geography - Middle School
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Africa - Introductory
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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.
Along with his wife, Weinberg also runs Spruceton Inn set on the West Kill, a tree-encased tributary off Schoharie Creek that gives the surrounding hamlet its name.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 5, 2026
The park leads on to the Grand Union Canal Walk and is bordered by the River Brent, a tributary of the River Thames.
From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026
Toxins entered a tributary feeding the Kafue, Zambia's longest river and a major source of drinking water.
From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026
An above-ground storage tank operated by Carbon California spilled the oil into a remote tributary of Sisar Creek near Ojai, contaminating about three-quarters of a mile of the waterway, according to state wildlife officials.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2025
Why not alter the course of that human tributary so that it fed southward?
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
