: 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
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
See All Example Sentences for spillway
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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
See All Example Sentences for spillway
Cite this Entry
“Spillway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spillway. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spillway
noun
spill·way
ˈspil-ˌwā 
: a passage for extra water to run over or around a dam
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