dike

noun (1)

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\ ˈdīk

Definition of dike

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 civil engineering : an artificial watercourse : ditch

2 civil engineering

a : a bank (see bank entry 1 sense 1) usually of earth constructed to control or confine water : levee

b : a barrier preventing passage especially of something undesirable

3a civil engineering : a raised causeway

b geology : a tabular body of igneous rock that has been injected while molten into a fissure

dike

verb

diked; diking

Definition of dike (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1 civil engineering : to surround or protect with a dike (see dike entry 1)

2 civil engineering : to drain by a dike

dike

noun (2)

less common spelling of dyke

usually offensive

: lesbian

Other Words from dike Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More About dike

Examples of dike in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb 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 The southern banks along Svensen Slough, a side channel of the Columbia River, have transformed over time from historic spruce swamp into fields diked off by European settlers for farming. — Edward Stratton, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Apr. 2018 Aerial photos show portions of the land – diked and drained for agriculture by the 1930s and cut in half by US Highway 30 by the 1970s – slowly returning to wetlands as levees broke down and breached. — Edward Stratton, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Apr. 2018 The tank area is believed to be diked and lined to contain spilled fuel. — Zaz Hollander, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Mar. 2018 That was before humans drained and diked estuaries to build cities, grow crops, and make salt. — National Geographic, 13 June 2017 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dike.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.