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.
"The ancient carpenter used a specialized river to split the massive oak logs into perfect planks for his new house."
One who rives or splits.
In plain English: A river is a large stream of water that flows continuously from higher ground to the sea or a lake.
"We spent our afternoon fishing in the wide river that flows through the valley."
Usage: Use "river" to describe a large natural stream of water flowing in a channel toward an ocean, lake, or another river. Do not use it to mean someone who causes things to split apart, as that is the definition of the related verb "rive."
To improve one’s hand to beat another player on the final card in a poker game.
"You should river an ace if you think your opponent is bluffing on the turn."
In plain English: To river means to flow with a steady, smooth motion like water moving down a stream.
"The heavy rain did not river through the cracked pavement."
Usage: Use river only as a noun referring to a flowing stream of water; it is not a verb in standard English, even though poker slang describes improving a hand on the final community card. Do not conjugate it or use it to mean "to improve" in any other context.
A unisex given name.
"My sister named her daughter River because she loves how strong and flowing the word sounds."
The word "river" entered Middle English from Anglo-Norman and Early Medieval Latin, where it originally referred specifically to a riverbank rather than the flowing water itself. This borrowing eventually replaced the native Old English word ēa to become the standard term for the body of water we know today.