A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake, or another river.
Small rivers can be referred to using names such as stream, creek, brook, rivulet, and rill.
Rivers are part of the hydrological cycle.
Water generally collects in a river from precipitation through a drainage basin from surface runoff and other sources such as groundwater recharge, springs, and the release of stored water in natural ice and snowpacks