viaduct

noun

via·​duct ˈvī-ə-ˌdəkt How to pronounce viaduct (audio)
: a long elevated roadway usually consisting of a series of short spans supported on arches, piers, or columns

Illustration of viaduct

Illustration of viaduct

Examples of viaduct in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Among these is the Ravenna Gorge Christmas Market in a true fairy-tale setting—a gorge under the 131-foot-high viaduct of the Höllental railway in the Black Forest Highlands. Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 18 Oct. 2025 Designed by structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and architect Norman Foster, the viaduct combines elegant design with structural strength, making it as much a work of art as a transportation artery. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025 The team across the Causeway — the highway viaduct that connects Yolo County and Sacramento — would be the Sacramento State Hornets. Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2025 More than a third of the lost cash, or $327 million, was pegged to the Allston Multimodal Project, an overhaul of the Mass Pike in Allston that would have seen the replacement of viaducts with a ground-level highway and a new transit hub, among other things. Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald, 24 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for viaduct

Word History

Etymology

Latin via way, road + English aqueduct

First Known Use

1816, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of viaduct was in 1816

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Cite this Entry

“Viaduct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/viaduct. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

viaduct

noun
via·​duct ˈvī-ə-ˌdəkt How to pronounce viaduct (audio)
: a bridge for carrying a road or railroad over something (as a gorge or a highway)

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