river "There are no official definitions for the generic term river as applied to geographic features, although in some countries or communities a stream is defined by its size. Many names for small rivers are specific to geographic location; examples are "run" in some parts of the United States, "burn" in Scotland and northeast England, and "beck" in northern England. Sometimes a river is defined as being larger than a creek, but not always: the language is vague." A stream which, through permanent or seasonal flow processes, moves from elevated land towards lower elevations through a definite channel and empties either into a sea, lake, or another river or ends on land as bed seepage and evapotranspiration exceed water supply. stream