as in creek
a natural body of running water smaller than a river
the fugitive made use of local runnels to throw the bloodhounds off his scent
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Recent Examples of runnel
Water fun will be a big draw, whether observing the natural pond-like runnel feature or the chutes of tumbling water and inch-deep pools safe to play in.
—
Dallas News, 15 Apr. 2022
Designed by Louis Kahn for Jonas Salk, who created the polio vaccine, the complex sits on a shelf above the Pacific, a symmetrical white piazza flanked by buildings that are angled like a theater’s wings and bisected by a narrow runnel.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 15 Mar. 2021
The road ran like a twisty runnel through fuchsia hedges and bright fields of buttercups and cow parsley, up to a pass among the 3,000-foot Slieve Mish mountains.
—New York Times, 12 Aug. 2019
In summer, runoff from cloudbursts etches into the softer limestones and sluices through the deep runnels.
—National Geographic, 19 Aug. 2019
Grouting crews fan out across the subways every night, looking for runnels down walls and stalactites of muck oozing from ceilings, patching up incursions that are closest to electrical components first.
—Sarah Maslin Nir, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2018
Dallas News, 15 Apr. 2022
Designed by Louis Kahn for Jonas Salk, who created the polio vaccine, the complex sits on a shelf above the Pacific, a symmetrical white piazza flanked by buildings that are angled like a theater’s wings and bisected by a narrow runnel.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 15 Mar. 2021
The road ran like a twisty runnel through fuchsia hedges and bright fields of buttercups and cow parsley, up to a pass among the 3,000-foot Slieve Mish mountains.
—New York Times, 12 Aug. 2019
In summer, runoff from cloudbursts etches into the softer limestones and sluices through the deep runnels.
—National Geographic, 19 Aug. 2019
Grouting crews fan out across the subways every night, looking for runnels down walls and stalactites of muck oozing from ceilings, patching up incursions that are closest to electrical components first.
—Sarah Maslin Nir, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for runnel
Noun
-
He’s arrowed fish in freshwater, tidewater creeks, and in the saltwater near the massive Chesapeake Bay Bridge.—
Bob McNally,
Outdoor Life,
1 May 2025
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The Spa The Spa is a collection of treatment tents set along a creek that lends a soundtrack to your massage, facial, or body wrap.—
Maya Kachroo-Levine,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Adept anglers can fly-fish for them across the varied terrain of the property’s creeks or patrol the marshy perimeters its six Class A lakes for the coveted catch, as well as fellow trout—namely rainbow, brown, and brook–that often exceed 20 inches.—
Alexandra Kirkman,
Robb Report,
29 May 2025
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The quick video opened with footage of a rushing river and rolled to show a closeup of flowering branches, blue bells and an aerial view of a brook.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Runnel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/runnel. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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