English Reference
noun · verb

river

n. · v.
US /ˈɹɪvɝ/ riv·er UK spelling river's, river's

  1. 01 A1 Beginner

    n.a large, natural flow of water that crosses land and goes into the ocean or a lake.

    n.a large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake, or another such stream.

    Simple

    We took a small boat trip down the river to see the birds.

    In context

    The river winds through the valley for hundreds of miles before finally emptying into the delta at the coast.

  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate Literary

    n.a large amount of liquid that flows quickly.

    n.a large and continuous flow of a liquid other than water.

    Simple

    Rivers of sweat ran down the athlete's face after the long race.

    In context

    Following the heavy storm, rivers of mud cascaded down the hillside, blocking the main access road to the village.

  3. 03 C1 Advanced InformalTechnical

    n.the fifth and final card dealt in a game of poker.

    n.the final community card dealt in games like Texas Hold'em, following the flop and the turn.

    Simple

    He was losing the game until the river card gave him a winning hand.

    In context

    The professional player checked his bet, hoping the river would provide the spade he needed to complete his flush.

    fifth street
  4. 04 C2 Proficiency Technical Computing

    n.a line of white space that accidentally goes down a page of printed text.

    n.a series of white spaces between words that happen to align vertically across several lines of text, creating a distracting visual gap.

    Simple

    The designer fixed the text because there was a distracting river in the middle of the paragraph.

    In context

    Adjusting the tracking and justification settings is often necessary to eliminate rivers that disrupt the visual flow of a printed column.

  5. 05 C2 Proficiency Slang

    v.to win a poker game by getting the right card at the very end.

    v.to outdraw an opponent by improving one's hand on the final community card.

    Simple

    I had the best hand until he rivered me with an Ace.

    In context

    It is incredibly frustrating to play a perfect hand only to be rivered by a novice player chasing a low-probability draw.

Usage river levels · rivers lakes · river water

This entry
Level A1 · Beginner
Frequency Very common
Updated