dike

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈdīk 

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

3

a

civil engineering : a raised causeway

b

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

dike

2 of 4

verb

diked; diking

transitive verb

1

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

2

civil engineering : to drain by a dike

diker noun civil engineering

dike

3 of 4

noun (2)

less common spelling of dyke

usually offensive

: lesbian

diker

4 of 4

noun (3)

dik·​er

variants or less commonly dyker

ˈdīkə(r)

plural -s

: one that makes or works upon dikes

Synonyms of dike

Noun (1)

• dam
• levee
• embankment

Examples of dike in a Sentence

Noun (1)

an elaborate system of dikes built to protect the lowlands from the relentless onslaught of the sea

water flowed along the dike to the small pond

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The dike had broken, and the firefighters abandoned their efforts. — Kansas City Public Library Staff, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026

More than 1 billion gallons of ash spilled into waterways and neighboring properties after a dike ruptured. — Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2026

Verb

Dirt dike riders surround Baltimore police Police said large groups of dirt bike riders traveled through city parks in North and South Baltimore and gathered near Druid Hill Park. — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 30 June 2026

Responders are establishing diking and damming measures to divert the potential fluid down a grade into a commercial holding area. — Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb

Middle English, probably from Old Norse dīk ditch and Middle Low German dīk dam; akin to Old English dīc ditch — more at ditch

Noun (3)

Middle English dikere, from diken to dike + -ere -er

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dike

• bike
• hike
• ike
• like
• mike
• psych
• pyke
• shrike
• spike
• strike
• tike
• alike

Kids Definition

dike

1 of 2 noun

ˈdīk 

1

: a channel dug in the earth to carry water : ditch

2

: a bank of earth constructed to control water : levee

3

: a long body of igneous rock that has been forced while molten into a narrow opening or crack

dike

2 of 2 verb

diked; diking

1

: to surround or protect with a dike

2

: to drain by a dike

diker noun