DAM Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

dam 1 of 2

noun

ˈdam

Definition of dam

as in levee

a bank of earth constructed to control water the river backed up behind the dam until it formed a new lake

Synonyms & Similar Words

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dam

2 of 2

verb

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

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

But the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 shifted federal spending priorities toward national defense and power-generating dams, delaying flood-control measures such as levees designed to protect low-lying communities like Argentine. — Michelle Oliva-Espinosa, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026 Remote dams create transportation problems Delivering an LPT to a hydropower facility presents another layer of difficulty. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 18 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

Noun

But the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 shifted federal spending priorities toward national defense and power-generating dams, delaying flood-control measures such as levees designed to protect low-lying communities like Argentine.

— Michelle Oliva-Espinosa, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026
The river has risen again and again, and in 1993, the Mississippi did not go over the levee, at first, but under it, burrowing a tunnel like a prisoner seeking freedom.

— Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026

Definition of levee

Verb

The Houthi blockade of the Bab-al-Mandeb strait has blocked another exit point for roughly 5 million barrels per day of Saudi oil.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
If Democrats block a stopgap bill, Thune will face plenty of problems with his fallback approach of passing a party-line spending bill to fund some of the government this fall.

— Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 23 July 2026

Definition of block

Verb

Miami now will turn its attention to filling three open roster spots, with former Kings forward Demar DeRozan among the logical options.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 25 July 2026
Georgia's vast Okefenokee Swamp is filled with alligators like this one in the swamp's Chesser Prairie area.

— Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 25 July 2026

Definition of fill

Verb

In a 2022 request to interview Floris and Benavides, the senators said the episode frustrated and obstructed their oversight.

— Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 19 July 2026
He was booked on suspicion of two misdemeanor charges, pedestrian under the influence of drugs or alcohol and resisting or obstructing officers.

— Alex Brizee July 17, Idaho Statesman, 17 July 2026

Definition of obstruct

Verb

The fan festival outside the stadium was packed with fans wearing colors that didn’t represent England or France.

— Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 19 July 2026
The 80,000-capacity New York New Jersey stadium was packed with few empty seats in the sea of red and white and blue at the final matchup of Spain versus Argentina.

— Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 19 July 2026

Definition of pack

Verb

Businesses that had never flooded before were suddenly underwater.

— Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
At some point in the mid-1850s, the river Padma suddenly carved a new path through the village of his ancestors in modern-day Bangladesh, flooding their homes and scattering them across the Indian subcontinent.

— Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

Definition of flood

Browse Nearby Words

dallying

dam

damage

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“Dam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dam. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of dam

noun

verb

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