swale

noun

\ ˈswāl

How to pronounce swale (audio)

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Definition of swale

: a low-lying or depressed and often wet stretch of land also : a shallow depression on a golf course

Examples of swale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Figure out a way to keep water from flowing there, such as by extending gutter downspouts or by building a swale that diverts surface flow. — Washington Post, "My basement window well keeps filling with water. What can I do?," 28 Sep. 2020 Maslo and her team are softening the hard curvature of the swale so that tidal surges entering from the river below the New Jersey Turnpike don’t rush in at high velocity. — Jen Schwartz, Scientific American, "Surrendering to Rising Seas," 1 Aug. 2018 Upon impact, the Cobalt was propelled upright at a near 90-degree angle before falling onto a roadside swale, additional surveillance video showed. — Wayne K. Roustan, sun-sentinel.com, "Man charged with vehicular homicide in deadly high-speed crash," 6 Aug. 2020 The vintage trash is mostly gone now, but despite cleanup efforts, the waste continues to collect in stream beds, swales and on roadsides, Merryman said. — Taylor Deville, baltimoresun.com, "Patapsco Facebook group connects Patapsco Valley communities," 1 Nov. 2019 Three functional swales and downspouts manage rainwater and ground water runoff. — oregonlive, "Restored Scandinavian midcentury modern in Southwest Portland showcases soothing spaces," 22 Mar. 2020 The house is surrounded by a swale to distribute rainfall around the property and make irrigation more sustainable. — Dallas News, "This Dallas house was built for sustainable living, even before that was a thing," 6 Mar. 2020 The ridges and swale landscape is like those at Wisconsin’s Point Beach State Forest and Kohler-Andrae State Park, but on a larger scale. — Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "America’s newest national park, Indiana Dunes, is also the closest one to Milwaukee," 20 Feb. 2019 Streets lined with homes look like ghost towns, while parking lots and swales are packed with tailgate chairs, tents and cots. — Patricia Mazzei, New York Times, "The Puerto Rico Earthquake was Three Days Ago. People are Still Living Outdoors.," 9 Jan. 2020

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

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Cite this Entry

“Swale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swale. Accessed 6 Mar. 2021.

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