Meaning & use
navigable river
Last updated
UK/ˈnævɪɡəbl ˈrɪvə/
US/ˈnævɪɡəbl ˈrɪvər/
Meaning
nouncountable
A river that is deep and wide enough for ships or boats to travel along.
Grammar: Countable; can be used with 'a' or in the plural 'navigable rivers'.
Patterns
- a navigable river
- make a river navigable
The Mississippi is a navigable river for much of its length.
Engineers worked to make the river navigable for larger vessels.
Many navigable rivers are important for trade and transport.
Word forms
| plural | navigable rivers |
|---|
Common combinations
- a navigable river
- The Thames is a navigable river.
- make a river navigable
- Dredging made the river navigable.
- navigable waterway
- The canal is a navigable waterway.
Synonyms and how they differ
- waterway
- A general term for any route on water; 'navigable river' specifically means a river that boats can use.
Opposites
unnavigable river
Word family
- navigate verb
- To plan and direct the course of a ship or aircraft.
- navigation noun
- The process of planning and following a route.
Commonly confused: navigable river or navigational?
navigable river vs navigational
An adjective meaning related to navigation, not a description of a river's depth.
Practice
What makes a river navigable?
Choose one answer.
A navigable river must be deep and wide enough for vessels to pass. Length or speed alone does not make it navigable.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “navigable river”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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