as in levees
a bank of earth constructed to control water
the river backed up behind the dam until it formed a new lake
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in blocks
to prevent passage through by filling with something
ice floes were damming the river
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fills
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 dams
ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
Biologists say salmon populations have declined due to a combination of factors, including dams, which have blocked off spawning areas, the loss of vital floodplain habitats and global warming, which is intensifying droughts and causing warmer temperatures in rivers.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
Most of the water that Treasure Valley residents see in the river isn’t a natural flow — it’s regulated by the dams and reservoirs upstream.
—Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 10 Apr. 2026
While some dams serve critical purposes, protection from flooding and supplying drinking water, along the 80-mile-long Charles River, Kumpf says nearly 20 dams are simply relics of the region's industrial past.
—Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
At the same time, increasingly large cohorts of baby boomers hit the labor market just as spending on defense, space exploration and infrastructure like interstate highways and dams fell.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2026
Some customers complain about large icicles and ice dams forming in the winter where there weren’t issues previously, which makes some homeowners question how well the system actually collects runoff.
—Dan Simms, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
The dorado's route is now threatened by hydropower dams and river fragmentation, which block the fish from reaching their breeding sites and cause steep population declines.
—Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
Concrete structures such as bridges, dams, tunnels, and pavements will inevitably have microcracks, allowing water and chloride ions to penetrate, leading to corrosion and failure.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
To help replenish groundwater, check dams – small, temporary structures across waterways – have been constructed in Kabul’s 14 districts, and thousands of absorption wells that help manage stormwater have been dug, Abid said.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
Biologists say salmon populations have declined due to a combination of factors, including dams, which have blocked off spawning areas, the loss of vital floodplain habitats and global warming, which is intensifying droughts and causing warmer temperatures in rivers.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
Most of the water that Treasure Valley residents see in the river isn’t a natural flow — it’s regulated by the dams and reservoirs upstream.
—Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 10 Apr. 2026
While some dams serve critical purposes, protection from flooding and supplying drinking water, along the 80-mile-long Charles River, Kumpf says nearly 20 dams are simply relics of the region's industrial past.
—Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
At the same time, increasingly large cohorts of baby boomers hit the labor market just as spending on defense, space exploration and infrastructure like interstate highways and dams fell.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2026
Some customers complain about large icicles and ice dams forming in the winter where there weren’t issues previously, which makes some homeowners question how well the system actually collects runoff.
—Dan Simms, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
The dorado's route is now threatened by hydropower dams and river fragmentation, which block the fish from reaching their breeding sites and cause steep population declines.
—Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
Concrete structures such as bridges, dams, tunnels, and pavements will inevitably have microcracks, allowing water and chloride ions to penetrate, leading to corrosion and failure.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
Glacial outburst floods happen when the ice dams holding back glacial lakes fail, allowing a sudden release of water.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dams
Noun
-
Declines in groundwater levels have in recent years caused household wells to sputter and run dry, streams and wetlands to dry up, and land to sink, damaging canals and levees.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
-
But farming communities nationwide have been adversely affected by the president's tariff policy, as global trading partners scaled back agricultural purchases like soybeans in retaliation for higher levees.—
Jennifer Jacobs,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Shiok, a Singaporean restaurant that operated for 25 years in Menlo Park before facing eviction last year, will be returning to the city just blocks away from its former home.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
13 Apr. 2026
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The frames retail outside China for $599; that’s less than the Meta Ray-Ban Display, which starts at $799 but is not officially sold in China, where a firewall blocks access to Facebook.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
His 5-foot-10-inch-ish frame fills the net and fear becomes a stranger.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
13 Apr. 2026
-
In Mississippi, a temporary exhibit created specifically for the commemoration -- Mississippi Made -- fills a space that is routinely changed to entice visitors to return.—
GARY FIELDS,
Arkansas Online,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Slopes or embankments are classified by their gradient (vertical rise over 100 feet).—
The San Diego Union Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
-
It was shortened again by the construction of embankments in 1835 or 1836 and in 1838.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Don't tail large vehicles closely - Trucks or buses can kick up a water spray that obstructs visibility.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For older systems, travelers can purchase additional accessories like AirFly, which plugs into the headphone jack and connects to wireless headphones via Bluetooth.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Mar. 2026
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Her lending company plugs those sorts of details — student transcripts and internship experiences, for example— into an algorithm that determines the likelihood applicants will complete college, get a job and make enough money to pay back the loan.—
James Pollard,
Fortune,
28 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The annual SantaCon bar crawl that floods New York City with inebriated young people in Santa suits every holiday season was run by a real-life Grinch, according to federal prosecutors.—
Larry Neumeister,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
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Swarm of teens floods DC streets in ‘takeover' However, four individuals were arrested at the nearby Waterfront Metro Station – located outside the city’s curfew zone – by members of the Metro Transit Police.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Our expert take The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card packs a punch for a $95 annual fee card, offering annual travel credits, comprehensive travel protections and more.—
Liz Knueven,Ryley Amond,
CNBC,
11 Apr. 2026
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New York packs tons of it, and Mike Brown had no intention of hiding his hand against a potential playoff opponent.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dams.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dams. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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