river

noun

1. 1

   A large and often winding stream which drains a land mass, carrying water down from higher areas to a lower point, oftentimes ending in another body of water, such as an ocean or in an inland sea.

   Occasionally rivers overflow their banks and cause floods.

   By the side of the river he trotted as one trots, when very small, by the side of a man who holds one spell-bound by exciting stories; and when tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, a babbling procession of the best stories in the world, sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable sea.

   Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale. The early, intense onset of the monsoon on June 14th swelled rivers, washing away roads, bridges, hotels and even whole villages. Rock-filled torrents smashed vehicles and homes, burying victims under rubble and sludge.

2. 2

   Any large flow of a liquid in a single body.

   a river of blood

3. 3

   The last card dealt in a hand.

   He called instantly but was too ashamed to show until the river.

4. 4

   A visually undesirable effect of white space running down a page, caused by spaces between words on consecutive lines happening to coincide.

verb

1. 1

   To improve one’s hand to beat another player on the final card in a poker game.

   Johnny rivered me by drawing that ace of spades.

noun

1. 1

   One who rives or splits.

Forms

plural

rivers

past tense

rivered

past participle

rivered

present participle

rivering

third person singular

rivers