Definition

Proper noun A major river in North America. It flows from Lake Ontario northeast into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean. It forms part of the international border between Canada and the United States and is a vital waterway for shipping.

Usage Examples

• The Saint Lawrence River is the primary drainage outlet for the Great Lakes Basin.
• Many cargo ships travel along the Saint Lawrence River to reach the interior of the continent.
• We took a boat tour to see the whales in the Saint Lawrence River.

Advanced Usage

• "the Saint Lawrence": Often used as a shortened, informal reference to the river.
  • The early explorers navigated the Saint Lawrence to reach the Great Lakes.

Variants and Related Words

• Saint Lawrence Seaway (n): A system of locks, canals, and channels that allows ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River.
  • The Saint Lawrence Seaway is a critical engineering project for North American trade.
• Gulf of Saint Lawrence (n): The large gulf into which the Saint Lawrence River flows, located between the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Quebec.
  • The Gulf of Saint Lawrence is known for its rich fisheries.

Synonyms

• St. Lawrence River: The common abbreviated form.
• Fleuve Saint-Laurent: The French name for the river.

Related Phrases

• Head of the Saint Lawrence: Refers to the beginning of the river at the outflow of Lake Ontario.
• Mouth of the Saint Lawrence: Refers to the point where the river widens into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

Noun

1. a North American river; flows into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the North Atlantic