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
Noun
Additionally, regular gutter cleaning helps prevent clogs, ice dams, and pest infestations, which may otherwise damage the gutter system. Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Oct. 2024 Weakened, Helene then soaked the Carolinas and Tennessee with torrential rains, sending creeks and rivers over their banks and straining dams. David Meyer, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2024
Verb
The Marin Municipal Water District completed Kent Lake in 1954 by enlarging a section of Lagunitas Creek’s watercourse and damming the creek’s flow. Jim Holden, The Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2024 Her claim, for example, that the Aces tried to illegally access her medical records is damming. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 19 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dam 

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 6 Oct. 2024.

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

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