1
as in blocking
to prevent passage through by filling with something
ice floes were damming the river
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in filling
to close up so that no empty spaces remain
dam up the pipes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of damming
As these boar and beavers escape, digging up his neighbor’s fields and damming his streams, the two farmers begin to butt heads.
—
Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 2 Mar. 2026
Designed for a valley miles away from the Sacramento River, the reservoir would pump water through an underground pipe connecting to the river, rather than damming and trapping its water supply.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 17 Jan. 2026
The more Austinites have expanded the surface area of lakes — by damming up the Colorado River with various degrees of success from 1893 to 1960 — the more moisture was available to evaporate into the air.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 4 Jan. 2026
But a combination of river damming, habitat destruction, overfishing and pollution has caused numbers of the southern residents’ preferred prey, Chinook salmon, to plummet since the 1980s.
—Kelso Harper, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
On the tower’s other side, boundless flats of sand and cracked mud spread to the horizon across what was, prior to the river’s damming a century ago, one of Earth’s great green estuaries.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
That can help identify whether your home is at risk of ice dams, and lead to insulation upgrades and other services to mitigate ice damming in the future.
—Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 11 Dec. 2025
The authors further emphasize that behaviors such as waterfall climbing may be especially vulnerable to environmental pressures, including habitat fragmentation and river damming.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 17 Aug. 2025
Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 2 Mar. 2026
Designed for a valley miles away from the Sacramento River, the reservoir would pump water through an underground pipe connecting to the river, rather than damming and trapping its water supply.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 17 Jan. 2026
The more Austinites have expanded the surface area of lakes — by damming up the Colorado River with various degrees of success from 1893 to 1960 — the more moisture was available to evaporate into the air.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 4 Jan. 2026
But a combination of river damming, habitat destruction, overfishing and pollution has caused numbers of the southern residents’ preferred prey, Chinook salmon, to plummet since the 1980s.
—Kelso Harper, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
On the tower’s other side, boundless flats of sand and cracked mud spread to the horizon across what was, prior to the river’s damming a century ago, one of Earth’s great green estuaries.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
That can help identify whether your home is at risk of ice dams, and lead to insulation upgrades and other services to mitigate ice damming in the future.
—Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 11 Dec. 2025
The authors further emphasize that behaviors such as waterfall climbing may be especially vulnerable to environmental pressures, including habitat fragmentation and river damming.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 17 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for damming
Verb
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The staffers have also been blocking driveways, forcing WGA managers to wait for several minutes before entering or exiting the SAG-AFTRA parking garage.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
27 Mar. 2026
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The military conflict is blocking the flow of oil and natural gas and impacting the availability of fertilizers derived from those products, according to industry groups.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Tune Into the Rhythm of Filipino Festivals After a nearly three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, festivals across the Philippines are once again taking the stage, filling up the events calendar with vivacious celebrations of local culture and tradition.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
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Now the pair are filling the former Slab space with trout that swims in chive beurre blanc; burgers crowned with a range of French cheeses; and expertly made baguettes that receive smears of butter d’Isigny.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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He was convicted in 2019 of seven felonies, including obstructing a congressional inquiry, lying to investigators under oath and attempting to block witness testimony.—
Mary Ramsey,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Mar. 2026
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The driver was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and obstructing or delaying an officer, police said.—
Sydney Barragan,
Oc Register,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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No one in my generation remembers the huge labor force of switchboard operators, but in the 1950s there were 340,000 workers physically plugging cords into jacks to connect callers to one another (roughly equivalent to the number of dental assistants today).—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
11 Mar. 2026
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The latter two moves shore up the bottom of the roster, plugging the last remaining holes this team has, while the Kadri add is arguably the biggest needle-moving acquisition of the deadline.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Bill Clinton was in the White House, Titanic was packing movie theaters and a startup with a funny name, Google, was just launching.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Think mix-and-match pieces that work across multiple settings rather than packing a different outfit for every occasion.—
Lauren Schuster,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Damming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/damming. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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