dam 1 of 2

noun

ˈdam How to pronounce dam (audio)
Definition of damnext
as in levee
a bank of earth constructed to control water the river backed up behind the dam until it formed a new lake

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dam

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to block
to prevent passage through by filling with something ice floes were damming the river

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to fill
to close up so that no empty spaces remain dam up the pipes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of dam
Noun
The prolonged drought in the West has reduced the water levels in Lake Powell, behind the dam. — CBS News, 31 July 2026 Hoover Dam, the dam on the Colorado River nestled on the border of Southern Nevada and Arizona, reopened for visitation on Friday, July 31, following a successful repair of the dam's cableway system. — Carly Sauvageau, USA Today, 31 July 2026
Verb
The nine-hole golf course opened in 1908, the same year the city’s first outdoor swimming pool at the park was created by damming up Tyler Creek. — Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2026 Responders are establishing diking and damming measures to divert the potential fluid down a grade into a commercial holding area. — Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for dam
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dam
  1. levee
  2. block
  3. fill
  4. embankment
  5. obstruct
  6. pack
  7. flood
  8. plug
Noun
  • The other is the data gap itself, with unreliable or incomplete records common across stormwater systems, levees, schools and other sectors.
    — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • The town is worried about the effect the wall would have on a series of berms and levees built in the 1970s and 1980s along the Rio Grande and tributaries to combat flooding.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026
Definition of levee
Verb
  • Instead, some Denver residents say scooters continue to block sidewalks, entrances and walkways.
    — Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The Besselian Elements team has added terrain shadows at totality time, but also a way of recognizing that the clouds blocking an eclipse may not actually be above the observer.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of block
Verb
  • The question is whether the people who filled it out can get a copy.
    — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • It's filled with design-centric knick-knacks for your artsy friend.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of fill
Noun
  • The truck struck a delineator post, traveled into a steep embankment, and then collided with a concrete bridge pillar.
    — Alejandro Avila, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The impact caused the Tesla to roll over down an embankment, according to court records.
    — Harry Harris, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of embankment
Verb
  • Zachary Robert Stacer, 22, was arrested on July 30 and charged with two counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, three counts of felonious assault and five counts of resisting and obstructing a police officer.
    — Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Watson was imprisoned in Greenland for five months in 2024 after being arrested on a Japanese warrant over charges of obstructing a whaling ship in 2010.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of obstruct
Verb
  • Once a lawyerly panel, a takeover by a trio of conservatives deeply mistrustful of the state’s voting system has turned the board’s once mundane meetings into boisterous events packed with crowds of cheering and jeering activists.
    — Tamar Hallerman, AJC.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Whipped up in only 20 minutes, it’s packed with flavor from goat cheese, walnuts, prosciutto, green apple, and loads of garlic.
    — Hannah Agran, Midwest Living, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of pack
Verb
  • This summer alone, we’re flooded with visitors excited to see the new Obama Presidential Center, enjoy Taste of Chicago and Lollapalooza, or just visit the museums and hang out by the lake.
    — Ray LaHood, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026
  • But the ease of generating cheap, low-quality video has the potential to flood the platform with garbage, a threat that has been on the minds of company executives intent on making YouTube feel more, not less, premium.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of flood
Verb
  • The apprentices worked in an assembly line fashion, taking each computer out of the box and plugging it into a charging station.
    — Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Eager to escape the swirling rumors before Monday’s MLB trade deadline, the 26-year-old outfielder plugged his phone into its charger and went to the gym.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of plug

Browse Nearby Words

dallying
dam
damage
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Cite this Entry

“Dam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dam. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on dam

Nglish: Translation of dam for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dam

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