1
: loose sedimentary material with rock particles usually ¹/₂₀ millimeter or less in diameter
also
: soil containing 80 percent or more of such silt and less than 12 percent of clay
2
: a deposit of sediment (as by a river)
silted; silting; silts
: to become choked or obstructed with silt
—often used with up
the channel silted up
: to choke, fill, cover, or obstruct with silt or mud
Examples of silt in a Sentence
Verb
The entrance to the creek had silted shut.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ashley Strickland, CNN, 2 Nov. 2024
If disturbed, the silt and algae would’ve made the photograph difficult to take and Gross’ subjects hard to see, the museum said.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 9 Oct. 2024
Erica Gies, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2018
All the while, the Guadalquivir River, which allowed ships into Seville, began to silt up, forcing trade southward to the coastal town of Cádiz.
—Walker Mimms, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2023
See all Example Sentences for silt 
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Noun
After the Mary Rose came to rest at the bottom of a strait in the English Channel, a layer of silt cloaked the ship and the hundreds of crew who died on board.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 2 Nov. 2024
If disturbed, the silt and algae would’ve made the photograph difficult to take and Gross’ subjects hard to see, the museum said.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 9 Oct. 2024
Verb
For his big plan, Yu can use them along with geographic information system (GIS) and satellite imagery to track China’s landscape changes as urbanization spreads, as estuaries and deltas silt up, as water starts to move differently across landscapes and cityscapes.
—Erica Gies, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2018
All the while, the Guadalquivir River, which allowed ships into Seville, began to silt up, forcing trade southward to the coastal town of Cádiz.
—Walker Mimms, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2023
See all Example Sentences for silt
Dictionary Entries Near silt
Cite this Entry
“Silt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silt. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
silt
2 of 2 verb
: to make or become choked, blocked, filled, or covered with silt
the river channel silted up
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