as in levees
a bank of earth constructed to control water
the river backed up behind the dam until it formed a new lake
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in blocks
to prevent passage through by filling with something
ice floes were damming the river
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fills
to close up so that no empty spaces remain
dam up the pipes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of dams
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
3 July 2026
Other risks to metal production from El Nino include the potential for aluminum and zinc shortages caused by low water levels in hydroelectric dams in China’s southern Yunnan province.
—
Tim Treadgold,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Crews hit the road this week to begin creating a database of conditions at culverts, bridges, dams, weirs and other manmade structures in Northwest Indiana streams.
—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2026
Then came this spring’s historic and devastating floods across northern Michigan — in some areas, for the first time anyone can remember — swamping homes, pushing dams to the brink of failure and washing out roadways.
—
Tammy Webber,
Fortune,
23 June 2026
Manipulating the timing of releases from dams on the western rivers could flood Pakistani farmland during planting seasons, while withholding water during critical irrigation windows could devastate harvests.
—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
22 June 2026
Then April's record rainfall created more runoff than waterways, dams and culverts could handle.
—
CBS News,
22 June 2026
Both warring parties have increasingly launched explosive-laden drones that, in multiple cases, targeted civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, dams, schools, markets, and displacement camps.
—
ABC News,
15 June 2026
This journey requires them to climb fish ladders over dams, navigate culverts diverting streams under roads, and ascend up to elevations of 7,000 feet.
—
Idaho Statesman,
12 June 2026
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
Glacial outburst floods happen when the ice dams holding back glacial lakes fail, allowing a sudden release of water.
—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
But that friendship was betrayed as settlers dried up the Gila with upstream dams and diversions.
—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
3 July 2026
Other risks to metal production from El Nino include the potential for aluminum and zinc shortages caused by low water levels in hydroelectric dams in China’s southern Yunnan province.
—
Tim Treadgold,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Crews hit the road this week to begin creating a database of conditions at culverts, bridges, dams, weirs and other manmade structures in Northwest Indiana streams.
—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2026
Then came this spring’s historic and devastating floods across northern Michigan — in some areas, for the first time anyone can remember — swamping homes, pushing dams to the brink of failure and washing out roadways.
—
Tammy Webber,
Fortune,
23 June 2026
Manipulating the timing of releases from dams on the western rivers could flood Pakistani farmland during planting seasons, while withholding water during critical irrigation windows could devastate harvests.
—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
22 June 2026
Then April's record rainfall created more runoff than waterways, dams and culverts could handle.
—
CBS News,
22 June 2026
Both warring parties have increasingly launched explosive-laden drones that, in multiple cases, targeted civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, dams, schools, markets, and displacement camps.
—
ABC News,
15 June 2026
This journey requires them to climb fish ladders over dams, navigate culverts diverting streams under roads, and ascend up to elevations of 7,000 feet.
—
Idaho Statesman,
12 June 2026
Verb
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission asked experts to study what happened at the Edenville and Sanford dams.
—
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
Glacial outburst floods happen when the ice dams holding back glacial lakes fail, allowing a sudden release of water.
—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dams
Noun
-
In his view, its role is merely to maintain the levees for flood protection.
-
Maintaining urban wetlands can help reduce flooding, protect property and recharge groundwater more effectively and for less money than building and maintaining levees.
Verb
-
The Connected Vehicle Rule, finalized in 2025 under the Biden Administration, effectively blocks Polestar from selling cars in the US starting with the 2027 model year.
-
One blocks the receptor binding protein, which the virus uses to attach to human cells.
Verb
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On The Porch There’s a particular kind of magic that comes when the sun dips below the treetops and the soundtrack of a summer evening fills the air—crickets, cicadas, and whip-poor-wills.
-
Rihanna fills two spaces on the Billboard Global 200 and three on the Billboard Global Excl.
Noun
-
Riding mowers are not designed for wet conditions and are more likely to roll on embankments.
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Been there as communities have tried to tame the mighty waters with levees and embankments, and battled 100-pound invasive fish.
Verb
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Don't tail large vehicles closely - Trucks or buses can kick up a water spray that obstructs visibility.
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Don't tail large vehicles closely - Trucks or buses can kick up a water spray that obstructs visibility.
Verb
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The discovery also plugs a gap in our understanding of Venus's dense atmosphere.
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Another distinction is its saddle and seatpost, which form a unit that plugs into a corner of the square motor/battery assembly.
Verb
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This is the essence of GPS spoofing, in which an attacker floods a GPS receiver with deceptive signals.
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Melatonin floods the brain and body, telling each cell that night has come.
Verb
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Everyone is familiar with the old saw that those unversed in history are condemned to repeat it, which packs a certain irony 250 years into our democratic experiment.
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Both are made with Lululemon’s ultra-soft Softreme fabric, which packs a velvety feel that is smooth against the skin.
Cite this Entry
“Dams.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dams. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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