river in northeast-central North Carolina, U.S., formed by the junction of the Flat, Little, and Eno rivers in Durham county. Named in 1584 for the Neusiok Indians, it flows about 275 miles (440 km), generally southeast past Kinston, the head of navigation. At New Bern, 35 miles (55 km) from the Atlantic Ocean, the Neuse is joined by the Trent River (Trent, River) to form an estuary 5 miles (8 km) wide and about 40 miles (64 km) long. The river flows past Croatan National Forest on its way to the Atlantic Ocean. In the 1990s a dinoflagellate called Pfiesteria piscicida present in the river was found to cause periodic fish kills.