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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Montezuma County officials also ordered evacuations for private lands in the lower Dolores River corridor, from the dam to Bradfield Bridge, Ferris fire officials said. — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 30 June 2026 Their bodies were found weeks later, buried in an earthen dam in a rural area of Neshoba County. — Gary Fields, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026

Verb

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 The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission asked experts to study what happened at the Edenville and Sanford dams. — ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dam

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dam

Noun

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
Concerned the barrier would not hold, the plant manager ordered two more backup levees built closer to the plant.

— Kansas City Public Library staff, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026

Definition of levee

Verb

Researchers demonstrated those effects using a quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulator, a magnetic topological material that blocks electrical current through its interior but allows electrons to travel along its edges in only one direction.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026
In May, Darwin filed a preliminary injunction, temporarily blocking the state from imposing the new rules.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Definition of block

Verb

Workers in hard hats and mountains of dirt fill empty lots directly across from the new restaurants.

— Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 10 July 2026
The Grammy winner performed 12 shows beginning in mid-June, making history by filling one of the world's great venues a dozen times.

— Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of fill

Noun

Members of the Baker County team set up a system of ropes and rappelled themselves down a steep embankment off the road to access the river, police said.

— Kevin Fixler July 8, Idaho Statesman, 8 July 2026
Rising sea levels push salt water inland through rivers, canals and shallow groundwater; storm surges cause embankments to collapse, allowing water to seep into soils, rivers and groundwater systems.

— Zakir Hossain Chowdhury, The Dial, 7 July 2026

Definition of embankment

Verb

Don't tail large vehicles closely - Trucks or buses can kick up a water spray that obstructs visibility.

— NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 5 July 2026
Don't tail large vehicles closely - Trucks or buses can kick up a water spray that obstructs visibility.

— KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026

Definition of obstruct

Verb

News of his death – one example of the political violence roiling America in recent years – quickly went global, with graphic videos flooding social media and politicians on both sides of the aisle swiftly condemning the killing.

— Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Video from the store's security camera captured the collapse, showing a portion of the roof fall near the bakery section as a deluge of water flooded the interior.

— Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 6 July 2026

Definition of flood

Verb

The city had to plug a roughly $70 million budget shortfall with two supplemental budgets for the last fiscal year that ended June 30.

— Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 7 July 2026
The biggest tell will be whether early awards back interconnects, photonics and instrumentation that can plug directly into regional testbeds, not just standalone lab science.

— John Prisco, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of plug

Browse Nearby Words

dallying

dam

damage

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Dam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dam. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of dam

noun

verb

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