A raised embankment or a gently sloping geomorphic surface of loose, unconsolidated earth material that has built up next to the sides of a river valley: The geology teacher, Mr. Lange, told his students that an alluvial terrace was a land area that came from a previously formed floodplain that was formed by a stream or river.

The alluvial terrace is also know as a built terrace, a drift terrace, a fill terrace, a stream-built terrace, a wave-built platform, and a wave-built terrace.