A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it runs out of water, or only flow during certain seasons.

River, (ultimately from Latin ripa, “bank”), any natural stream of water that flows in a channel with defined banks . Modern usage includes rivers that are multichanneled, intermittent, or ephemeral in flow and channels that are practically bankless.

A river is a large, natural stream of flowing water. Rivers are found on every continent and on nearly every kind of land.

A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, that moves toward an ocean, sea, lake, or another river. Rivers originate from water sources such as springs, glaciers, or rainfall runoff.

Explore an interactive map of US rivers with real-time flow data from 605+ USGS gauge sites across 37 states. Find river conditions, fishing reports, and more.

The Occoquan River is a tributary of the Potomac River in Northern Virginia, where it serves as part of the boundary between Fairfax and Prince William counties.

A river is a ribbon-like body of water that flows downhill from the force of gravity. A river can be wide and deep, or shallow enough for a person to wade across. A flowing body of water that is smaller than a river is called a stream, creek, or brook.