as in levee
a bank of earth constructed to control water
the river backed up behind the dam until it formed a new lake
Synonyms & Similar Words
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1
as in to block
to prevent passage through by filling with something
ice floes were damming the river
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dam
Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
Needing money, Godard turned to manual labor, getting a job at the construction site for the massive Grande Dixence Dam in Valais, Switzerland, which, when it was finished, would be the tallest dam in the world.
—Literary Hub, 31 Mar. 2026
Kamal Morgan
february 7, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2026
Designed for a valley miles away from the Sacramento River, the reservoir would pump water through an underground pipe connecting to the river, rather than damming and trapping its water supply.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dam
Noun
Concrete structures such as bridges, dams, tunnels, and pavements will inevitably have microcracks, allowing water and chloride ions to penetrate, leading to corrosion and failure.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
Needing money, Godard turned to manual labor, getting a job at the construction site for the massive Grande Dixence Dam in Valais, Switzerland, which, when it was finished, would be the tallest dam in the world.
—Literary Hub, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
Lake Como’s roots date back to 1889, when Denver investors dammed a creek about 5 miles west of downtown and built a luxury resort, casino and amusement rides modeled after Como, Italy.
—Kamal Morgan
february 7, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2026
Designed for a valley miles away from the Sacramento River, the reservoir would pump water through an underground pipe connecting to the river, rather than damming and trapping its water supply.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dam
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dam
Noun
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The cost of upgrading the local levee is about three times the town's total annual budget.—
Rebecca Hersher,
NPR,
30 Mar. 2026
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But farming communities nationwide have been adversely affected by the president's tariff policy, as global trading partners scaled back agricultural purchases like soybeans in retaliation for higher levees.—
Jennifer Jacobs,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The undrafted rookie blocked two shots in the final seconds to help the Sacramento Kings hold on for a 117-113 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans before a crowd of 15,422 at Golden 1 Center.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
4 Apr. 2026
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The strait has effectively blocked by Iran since the start of the war.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For every event that closes, such as the Johannesburg Biennale (held in 1995 and 1997) and the Marrakech Biennale (2004–16), others, like the Lagos Biennial (founded in 2017) and the Stellenbosch Triennial (founded in 2020), emerge to fill the void.—
Smooth Nzewi,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
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Hernandez’s supervisors asked her to fill a new role in 2018, a job that did not exist anywhere else in the state.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The crash comes just more than five years after Woods was involved in a serious rollover crash near Los Angeles, when his car went off the road going more than 80 mph and down an embankment in the Pacific Palisades in February 2021.—
Patrick Hipes,
Deadline,
27 Mar. 2026
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Officials said the scared dog ran and jumped over the railing and fell down the embankment.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors said Insua’s view was obstructed by the cargo, a deckhouse and crane on the barge.—
David Goodhue,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2026
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Full-palm tactile sensing allows the robot to continue manipulating objects even when cameras are obstructed or when precise force control is required, such as in assembly tasks.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The games bring out the fans, with big brothers and grandmas packing the stands.—
Laurie Perez,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
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Injury report While the Cubs head to Cleveland, right fielder Seiya Suzuki is packing his bags to Double-A Knoxville for a rehab stint.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The American Jewish community responded to the Yom Kippur War, which killed nearly three thousand Israeli soldiers, by flooding Israel with donations; doctors and students volunteered to join the war effort.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Inside, a central ramp—which spirals upward and outward from one exhibition floor to the next—creates an open interior space, flooded with daylight that pours in through a glass dome.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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While the front office grabbed headlines during the international window by signing French superstar Antoine Griezmann for a July arrival, the current roster has to immediately plug a porous defense that has leaked a league-high 17 goals in five matches.—
Kyle Foley,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
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This thing isn’t even plugged into anything.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dam. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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