dike 1 of 2

1
as in dam
a bank of earth constructed to control water an elaborate system of dikes built to protect the lowlands from the relentless onslaught of the sea

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2

dike

2 of 2

verb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dike
Noun
In addition to the hundreds of thousands of acres of marshland that were drained or diked off, the researchers discovered former wetlands that now are forested that were unknown to anybody. Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, 17 Aug. 2019 Ed Musial blames a series of finger dikes the state installed in the 1980s for channeling the river past their homes. Zaz Hollander, Anchorage Daily News, 30 June 2019
Verb
Park staff partially opened the valve in July after heavy rain caused water levels to overflow the dike, raising erosion concerns. Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 14 Aug. 2025 By taking down part of the old dike and building a new one farther back, the project has given the river some breathing room, expanding the floodplain. Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dike
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dike
Noun
  • Showing Up’s potentially myopic perspective contrasts significantly from Reichardt’s Night Moves, a film about radical white environmental activists whose designs of blowing up a dam backfires, causing their inept leader Josh (Jesse Eisenberg) to erratically cover his tracks.
    Robert Daniels, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
  • The technology automatically adjusts mooring line length in response to water-level changes, maintaining consistent tension and improving the reliability of floating solar installations on dams and reservoirs.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • In heavy rain, refrain from parking or walking near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a grave danger.
    Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 13 Oct. 2025
  • However, Tadashi Yanai, owner of the course and the Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo, has filed a lawsuit against Maui Land & Pineapple Company Inc (MLP), which owns 22,000 acres of land and the Honokohau ditch system that provides water for the area.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Levy’s house is fenced and has another gate at the edge of his property.
    Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Oct. 2025
  • While the 250-acre private destination is surrounded by fencing and separate from the rest of the country, port security is a concern and emergency response is limited.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Most of those rescues happened on the east side of Vallecito Creek, where a levee break caused rapid flooding.
    Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Yolo County officials are urging motorists to use caution on South River Road, a levee-top roadway that stretches from West Sacramento to the Freeport Bridge along the Sacramento River, due to shoulder erosion that has created hazardous driving conditions.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Dig a trench that is about 12 inches deep and loosen the soil, setting it to the side.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2025
  • These collisions have formed deep oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and complex geological features.
    Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Animals that are kennel-trained will likely be pleased to be in their cozy confines and away from the bustle of vacuums, mops, and the like, but for those who are roamers, consider gating off an area for them.
    Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2025
  • The new trains are faster, capable speeds of up to 160 miles per hour, while most of Amtrak's current rolling stock is gated at 125 miles per hour.
    Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The front of the school bus, meanwhile, was entangled with a tree in the embankment, the body of the bus tilted completely to one side.
    Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Three years ago this week, Hardy was on his way back from a concert in Bristol, Tennessee, when his tour bus careened off the road and rolled down an embankment.
    Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Krasznahorkai eventually found a global cult audience, who recognized his distinct ability to cloak anomie, violence, and resignation, smudged with a kind of gutter comedy, within a labyrinthine syntax.
    Walt Hunter, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Mosquitoes need water to breed, so limit standing water around your home by cleaning gutters and downspouts, removing leaves from low-lying areas and draining dishes under flower pots after rainstorms.
    Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dike.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dike. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

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