dam

1 of 4

noun (1)

1
a
: a barrier preventing the flow of water or of loose solid materials (such as soil or snow)
a beaver dam
an ice dam
especially, civil engineering : a barrier built across a watercourse for impounding (see impound sense 2) water
b
: a barrier to check the flow of liquid, gas, or air
2
: a body of water confined by a barrier

dam

2 of 4

verb

dammed; damming

transitive verb

1
: to provide or restrain with a barrier that prevents the flow of water : to provide or restrain with a dam (see dam entry 1 sense 1a)
dam a river
2
: to stop up : block
damming up their emotions

dam

3 of 4

noun (2)

zoology : the female parent of an animal and especially of a domestic animal
the foal's dam

dam

4 of 4

abbreviation

dekameter

Examples of dam in a Sentence

Noun (1) the river backed up behind the dam until it formed a new lake Verb ice floes were damming the river
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Ingram dam, before and after Camp Mystic, before and after — USA TODAY contributed to this report. Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 9 July 2025 There may be dams built to block it temporarily, but over time, cracks begin to form, and water starts enlarging those cracks until the dam collapses. Ali Farahmand, IndieWire, 8 July 2025
Verb
The decade-long battle, in which conservation and wilderness preservation organizations fought to halt damming the Buffalo River, ended in 1972. arkansasonline.com, 6 July 2025 Work started in the 1960s on the Cross Florida Barge Canal, which was planned to create a waterway from Northeast Florida to Yankeetown on the Gulf Coast and included damming the Ocklawaha River. Jim Saunders, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for dam

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb

Middle English, probably from Middle Dutch; akin to Old English fordemman to stop up

Noun (2)

Middle English dam, dame lady, dam — more at dame

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dam was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dam. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

dam

1 of 3 noun
: the female parent especially of a domestic animal

dam

2 of 3 noun
1
: a barrier preventing the flow of water
2
: a body of water held back by a dam

dam

3 of 3 verb
dammed; damming
1
: to provide or restrain with a dam
dam a stream
2
: to stop up : block
dammed-up feelings
Etymology

Noun

Middle English dam, dame "lady, female parent"

Noun

Middle English dam "barrier to hold back water"

Medical Definition

dam

1 of 3 noun
: a female parent
used especially of a domestic animal

dam

2 of 3 noun

dam

3 of 3 abbreviation
dekameter

Biographical Definition

Dam

biographical name

ˈdam How to pronounce Dam (audio)
ˈdäm
(Carl Peter) Henrik 1895–1976 Danish biochemist

More from Merriam-Webster on dam

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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