: 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
The Santa Fe Trail is also located nearby, providing a link from the White Rock Lake spillway to Deep Ellum and Fair Park.
—
Ryan Conner, Dallas News, 31 Aug. 2023
Officials in Hebei Province, which borders Beijing, had opened flood gates and spillways in seven low-lying flood control zones to prevent rivers and reservoirs from overflowing in Beijing and the region’s other metropolis, Tianjin, state media said.
—Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2023
At Pleasant Valley Dam, about 8 miles north of the city of Bishop, stormwater laden with sediment was surging over its spillway and into the Owens River at a rate of 1,000 cubic feet per second.
—Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2023
Shane Johnson, of Minot, hooked the 19-pounder on a quarter-ounce jig rigged with a 3-inch plastic lure while fishing off a wing wall that juts into the spillway below the 2-mile-long Garrison Dam.
—Steven Hill, Field & Stream, 23 Jan. 2023
Water levels at the Wrightsville Dam were reported at 2.2 feet from the spillway early Tuesday and were rising.
—George Petras, USA TODAY, 11 July 2023
On Tuesday morning, Fraser cautioned residents that the dam had only six feet of storage capacity remaining, and by 11:30 a.m. waters were only about 1 foot from the spillway, police said.
—Jeremy C. Fox, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2023
The Department of Water Resources has increased the outflow of water from the main spillway at Oroville Dam and an outlet farther south to ensure the full reservoir can hold snowmelt without overflowing.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2023
How years of inaction caused a major catastrophe On Wednesday, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office was issuing evacuation orders for areas along the Tule River, citing water overtopping a spillway at an upstream dam.
—Kurtis Alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Mar. 2023
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Ryan Conner, Dallas News, 31 Aug. 2023
Officials in Hebei Province, which borders Beijing, had opened flood gates and spillways in seven low-lying flood control zones to prevent rivers and reservoirs from overflowing in Beijing and the region’s other metropolis, Tianjin, state media said.
—Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2023
At Pleasant Valley Dam, about 8 miles north of the city of Bishop, stormwater laden with sediment was surging over its spillway and into the Owens River at a rate of 1,000 cubic feet per second.
—Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2023
Shane Johnson, of Minot, hooked the 19-pounder on a quarter-ounce jig rigged with a 3-inch plastic lure while fishing off a wing wall that juts into the spillway below the 2-mile-long Garrison Dam.
—Steven Hill, Field & Stream, 23 Jan. 2023
Water levels at the Wrightsville Dam were reported at 2.2 feet from the spillway early Tuesday and were rising.
—George Petras, USA TODAY, 11 July 2023
On Tuesday morning, Fraser cautioned residents that the dam had only six feet of storage capacity remaining, and by 11:30 a.m. waters were only about 1 foot from the spillway, police said.
—Jeremy C. Fox, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2023
The Department of Water Resources has increased the outflow of water from the main spillway at Oroville Dam and an outlet farther south to ensure the full reservoir can hold snowmelt without overflowing.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2023
How years of inaction caused a major catastrophe On Wednesday, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office was issuing evacuation orders for areas along the Tule River, citing water overtopping a spillway at an upstream dam.
—Kurtis Alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spillway.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1889, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near spillway
Cite this Entry
“Spillway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spillway. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
spillway
noun
spill·way
ˈspil-ˌwā 
: a passage for extra water to run over or around a dam
More from Merriam-Webster on spillway
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for spillway
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spillway
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