Confluence Meaning
/ˈkɒn.flu.əns/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe act of combining that occurs where two rivers meet.
nounThe act of combining that occurs where two rivers meet., The place where two rivers, streams, or other continuously flowing bodies of water meet and become one, especially where a tributary joins a river.
Sentence Examples
The Danube begins at the confluence of the Brigach and the Breg rivers.
Koblenz lies on the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ of the two rivers creates a large, calm lake.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The historic town was built right at the ____ of the three major rivers.
Word Origin & History
From late Middle English confluence, from Late Latin cōnfluentia (“a flowing together, conflux”), from cōnfluēns (present participle of cōnfluō (“to flow or run together”)) + -ia (nominal suffix).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"There has been much controversy especially as to the ownership of the large triangular delta at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, known as the Khabarovsk Delta, or Heihsiatzu [translating 黑瞎子 (Hēixiāzi)] Island in Chinese."
— 1937 July, “An Outline of the Manchoukuo-Soviet Border Controversy”, in Contemporary Manchuria: A Bi-Monthly Magazine, volume 1, number 2, Dairen: South Manchuria Railway Company, →OCLC, page 31:
"The South was the nadir of the American medical experience, visited by a deadly triple confluence—the pathogens of North America, Europe, and Africa."
— 2008, Harriet A. Washington, “Southern Discomfort”, in Medical Apartheid, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, page 41:
"CHN 082 flows for approximately 304.8 meters (1,000 feet) before confluencing with the North Bald Eagle Creek."
— 1996 December, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, US Route 220 Transportation Improvements Project, Bald Eagle Village to I-80, Blair County, Centre County: Environmental Impact Statement, volume 3, page 41:
"I added a third manhole to my model so you can see how a junction might look. It just provides a nice way to confluence two streams into one pipe, which is an important job in a sewer system since a sewershed all has to flow to one place."
— 2025 February 4, Grady Hilhouse, “What’s Inside a Manhole?” (5:59 from the start), in Practical Engineering:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ of the two rivers creates a large, calm lake.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The historic town was built right at the ____ of the three major rivers.