spillway

noun

spill·​way ˈspil-ˌwā 

: a passage for surplus water to run over or around an obstruction (such as a dam)

Examples of spillway in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Not everyone’s job includes crawling 150 feet through a spillway pipe 20 feet beneath a lake. — Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026

Anglers of all experience levels crowd fishing piers, line jetties, and stand shoulder-to-shoulder below the spillways just to wet a line. — Kristine Fischer, Outdoor Life, 2 July 2026

Thirty homes below the Anchor Lake dam in southern Mississippi were being evacuated as a precaution due to concerns that rising waters could overwhelm the spillways and compromise the structure, Reeves said. — CBS News, 19 June 2026

The area the plan will protect are those that lie west of the spillways — about two-thirds of Broward’s metro expanse. — Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 23 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for spillway

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• assez
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway

Kids Definition

spillway

noun

spill·​way ˈspil-ˌwā 

: a passage for extra water to run over or around a dam