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
dammed; damming
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
zoology
: the female parent of an animal and especially of a domestic animal
the foal's dam
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
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
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Dam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dam. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dam
1 of 3 noun
: the female parent especially of a domestic animal
dam
2 of 3 noun1
: 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
: rubber dam see dental dam
dam
3 of 3 abbreviation
dekameter
Biographical Definition
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