riverbed

What it means

1. geographyThe path where a river runs, or where a river once ran; the bottom earthen part of a river, not including the riverbanks.

   Near-synonyms: streambed, creekbed

   3 more examples

   The Hang En tour involves a difficult daylong trek over limestone mountain paths and along riverbeds to the remote indigenous village of Ban Doong.

   2014 October 31, David W. Lloyd, “Deep in Vietnam, Exploring a Colossal Cave”, in The New York Times

   Detailed laser surveys carried out by Network Rail revealed that fast-flowing water on the River Eden has caused parts of the riverbed to wash away, posing a risk to the viaduct foundations.

   2021 September 8, “Network News: West Coast Main Line viaducts reinforced by underwater concrete”, in RAIL, number 939, page 10

   Potential signs of microbial life were found in a rock sample collected by the rover in 2024 from an ancient dry riverbed on Mars' Jezero Crater -- an area of rocky outcrops on the edges the Neretva Vallis, a river valley carved by water rushing to the canyon billions of years ago, NASA officials announced in a press conference on Wednesday.

   2025 September 11, Matthew Glasser, Julia Jacobo, “Rock found on Mars could be evidence of ancient life, NASA says”, in ABC News

   Synonyms: river bottom, streambed, creekbed

In a sentence

Near-synonyms: streambed, creekbed

Where it comes from

From river + bed. Compare Dutch rivierbedding (“riverbed”), German Flussbett (“riverbed”), Swedish flodbädd (“riverbed”).