viaduct

noun

via·​duct ˈvī-ə-ˌdəkt How to pronounce viaduct (audio)
: a long elevated roadway usually consisting of a series of short spans supported on arches, piers, or columns

Illustration of viaduct

Illustration of viaduct

Examples of viaduct in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web At this point, the team was only around 350 yards from the viaduct at the mouth of the gorge. Myke Cole and Michael Livingston, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Feb. 2024 Farther north, crews worked atop a viaduct that will carry the high-speed line above existing freight tracks that cut across the state north to south. Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024 The properties included a former slaughterhouse just west of the casino and a research and development facility just east of the casino and 16th Street viaduct. Daniel Bice, Journal Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2024 Two dozen major structures, such as viaducts and bridges, have not even started construction. Ralph Vartabedian, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2023 Covington police found Stewart unconscious with a gunshot wound on the 15th Street viaduct over the railroad tracks between Madison Avenue and Russell Street. Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 3 Jan. 2024 During the partial Green Line closure, the MBTA expects to eliminate a speed restriction on the viaduct and integrate track switches, power lines, signal equipment, and digital equipment connecting the Union Square and Medford branches to the MBTA’s control center. Laura Crimaldi, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Aug. 2022 The bridge opened in July to replace the iconic viaduct that had spanned the Los Angeles River, connecting downtown to Boyle Heights for nearly a century. Grace Toohey, Anchorage Daily News, 25 May 2023 The train steams and chugs across hundreds of bridges, viaducts, and retaining walls, and punches through dozens of tunnels carved out of rugged rock walls. Kimberley Lovato, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'viaduct.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin via way, road + English aqueduct

First Known Use

1816, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of viaduct was in 1816

Dictionary Entries Near viaduct

Cite this Entry

“Viaduct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/viaduct. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

viaduct

noun
via·​duct ˈvī-ə-ˌdəkt How to pronounce viaduct (audio)
: a bridge for carrying a road or railroad over something (as a gorge or a highway)

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