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

Verb ice floes were damming the river
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Before the dam crumbled, OpenAI’s employees were threatening to quit en masse and follow Altman and Brockman to Microsoft, which was apparently waiting with open arms. David Meyer, Fortune, 22 Nov. 2023 The Eel River is on track to become California’s longest free-flowing waterway, as Pacific Gas & Electric formalizes a plan to tear down two dams to clear the way for salmon passage. Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2023 At the same time, the warmer water flowing through the dam and downstream made the Grand Canyon more hospitable to bass. WIRED, 4 Nov. 2023 The evaluations include assessing the dams for seismic vulnerabilities, structural deficiencies and flood risk — how many people’s lives would be in jeopardy in the event of a partial or complete dam failure. David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2023 But then in June the Kakhovka dam was destroyed, the entire region was flooded and military operations were largely halted as the front line was reshaped overnight. Marc Santora, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2023 When Neil passed, there was an outpouring, like a dam burst. Rob Tannenbaum, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2023 Somehow, trees uprooted by the storm piled up like a dam behind their home, parting the floodwaters around them. Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2023 Upriver nearby is a dam blocking a potential water escape in that direction. Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 27 Oct. 2023
Verb
Similarly, farmers in the lush Willamette Valley are far less dependent on water stored in reservoirs than their counterparts in the high desert of eastern Washington, Oregon and Idaho, where current farming practices would be impossible without the irrigation that dams and reservoirs supply. Tony Schick, ProPublica, 31 Oct. 2023 Helper • After a century of getting dammed, diverted, moved out of its channel and, in some places, tapped completely dry, a big section of the Price River now flows free. Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 28 Aug. 2023 There, the Little Colorado was dammed to create a 1,500-acre irrigation reservoir. Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 23 Mar. 2023 The area was made a state park after members of the pioneering McArthur family grew concerned that Pacific Gas & Electric would try to dam the Pit River for hydroelectric power and destroy the falls. Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2023 Retreating glaciers around the world have created unstable lakes that are dammed by ice or sediment. Anna Canny, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Aug. 2023 While Turkey and Iran dammed rivers, Iraq’s population almost quadrupled — from about 11.6 million in 1975 to more than 44 million today. Alissa J. Rubin Bryan Denton, New York Times, 29 July 2023 Others warn of the impending doom facing farms, power generators and major cities in the West that have sprung up since the Colorado River was first dammed, diverted and officially divvied out among states a century ago. Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 22 July 2023 To accommodate the growing population of Amsterdam and the surrounding area, it was decided to dam and drain the shallow Zuiderzee bay. Lea Lane, Forbes, 24 Apr. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dam.' 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

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

Dictionary Entries Near dam

Cite this Entry

“Dam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dam. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

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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