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
Much of the Sacramento Valley depends on a network of levees, dams and bypasses to handle both large volumes of rainwater and extra releases from the many reservoirs in the mountains and foothills. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026 Old levees and dams, for example, can leave a community vulnerable to catastrophic flooding, as the Seattle area saw in December 2025 when flooding from heavy rainfall broke levees in multiple communities. — Bethany Tietjen, The Conversation, 21 Sep. 2026
Verb
One theory is that the rock and ice briefly dammed the valley, allowing water to back up in the river. — Umesh Haritashya, The Conversation, 29 Aug. 2026 Rescue efforts were still ramping up Friday when a swollen glacial lake in the mountains upstream from the affected area, dammed up by debris and filling with meltwater, raised concerns of a possible new inundation looming. — Arshad R. Zargar, CBS News, 28 Aug. 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 levees were built, Oliver explained, for a city of 350,000 people.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Old levees and dams, for example, can leave a community vulnerable to catastrophic flooding, as the Seattle area saw in December 2025 when flooding from heavy rainfall broke levees in multiple communities.
    — Bethany Tietjen, The Conversation, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of levee
Verb
  • The bill’s guardrails are voluntary, the chief critique of Senate Democrats, but are aimed at blocking those energy spikes.
    — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Osako’s lawyer, Paul Rigali, argued that Kin could decide to block the report’s release without reviewing it himself, citing Osako’s privacy interest.
    — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of block
Verb
  • Around the three-and-a-half-hour mark of the race, the finish-line medical tent filled.
    — Vibhu Krishna, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The interiors, meanwhile, are by Philip Johnson and filled with an insane Warhol-and-Jeff-Koons art collection thanks to billionaire owner Aby Rosen.
    — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of fill
Noun
  • Photos from the scene show the aircraft off the paved runway and partially down a grassy embankment near the airport.
    — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • At a road embankment in Utqiaġvik, our team used fiber-optic cables to collect temperature and seismic data.
    — Ming Xiao, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of embankment
Verb
  • An adult, child or animal can unintentionally roll onto the baby or otherwise obstruct the baby’s airway.
    — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The construction of Terminal B also partially obstructed controllers’ views of two taxiways.
    — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of obstruct
Verb
  • Kisiel is certain the finding could become more important as electronics shrink and more components are packed closer together.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
  • But beyond the pretty bottle, the formula packs a serious skin-care punch, with 5% mandelic acid, azelaic acid, and licorice root to gently improve the appearance of dark underarms.
    — Glamour, Glamour, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of pack
Verb
  • Nowhere was that fact clearer than after each concert in the casino where rivers of black Metallica T-shirts flooded the pit.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2026
  • But suddenly everything will change, and clouds will come in, and in 10 to 15 minutes, rain will start and flood everywhere.
    — William Earl, Variety, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of flood
Verb
  • These holes are notorious for getting plugged with debris, worsening water accumulation.
    — Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Phones, tablets, and laptops that support DisplayPort Alt Mode can connect without relying on wireless casting, and compatible Nintendo Switch setups plug straight in without a dock.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Sep. 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 5 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on dam

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dam

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