When does a stream become a river? What makes the distinction?

Answer 1

Good answer mofu. Local convention is the determining factor though - whoever grew up next to said watercourse will have a conventional way of talking about it, regardless of anyone's "definition". In Scotland there are lots of rivers that the local Brazilian population regards as miniscule little streams. In Brazil there are rivers that I would say are virtually the sea.

Answer 2

A stream is a movement of something like the Gulf Stream, or slipstreams behind cars, so technically all rivers are streams.

That said, a good definition is a stream flows into a river, and a river into the sea, never the other way round. However, streams can flow into bigger streams and rivers into bigger rivers.

Answer 3

A stream is a body of running water such as a river or brook. As the stream of water flows downhill it may begin cutting into the soil and gradually get wider, deeper, longer and become a river. All rivers are fed by smaller streams or channels. By definition a stream becomes a river according to its volume. So a large stream with lots of water is often referred to as a river. Look at a USGS map and you will see unnamed steams feeding into a larger named river

Answer 4

A definition of a river is a LARGE NATURAL STREAM emptying into a lake, ocean, or other body large body of water. It is usually fed by tributaries. A definition of a stream is a steady current in a channel, bed, etc..
So, a river flows into lakes, ocean, larger rivers. But streams do that too. What I think is once it gets a certain depth or width. But, this also raises another question. What about creeks, brooks, etc.?

Answer 5

exactly at the same point a pebble becomes a stone, then rock then a boulder and then by some miracle, a rock again. ;-)

but seriously, I think when it starts to have other stream or tributaries flow in to it and it is the permanent water course, that it becomes a river. A seasonal flowing water course from ice melt would be a stream, the permanent thing it runs into is a river

Answer 6

a stream runs into a river, you might have 100 streams going into one river. The river is supplied by the streams.

Answer 7

The scientific term for any flowing natural waterway is a stream; so in technical language, the term river is just a shorthand way to refer to a large stream

Answer 8

a river is bigger than a stream yet the stream feeds the river, the river is smaller than the ocean yet all the rivers feed the ocean where does the madness end ????

Answer 9

river is supplied by streams