Synonyms of dams

dams 1 of 2

noun

plural of dam

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

• levees
• embankments
• canals
• dikes
• ramparts
• barriers
• weirs
• ditches
• locks
• heads
• barricades
• breakwaters
• gutters
• seawalls
• jetties
• channels
• blocks
• earthworks
• troughs
• sluices
• bulwarks
• breastworks
• barrages
• floodgates
• milldams
• stanks

dams

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of dam

1

as in blocks

to prevent passage through by filling with something

ice floes were damming the river

Synonyms & Similar Words

• blocks
• obstructs
• floods
• jams
• congests
• clogs
• stuffs
• fills
• occludes
• clots
• stops (up)
• plugs (up)
• chokes
• gums (up)
• corks
• packs
• silts
• furs
• spiles
• swamps
• stopples
• stoppers
• overwhelms
• inundates
• gridlocks
• bungs
• gluts

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unblocks
• frees
• opens (up)
• clears
• unplugs
• excavates
• scoops (out)
• unclogs
• hollows (out)
• empties
• unstops
• lightens

2

as in fills

to close up so that no empty spaces remain

dam up the pipes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fills
• plugs
• packs
• blocks
• seals
• stuffs
• clogs
• bungs
• congests
• stops
• caulks
• jams
• clots
• occludes
• closes (off)
• obstructs
• chinks
• chokes
• restuffs
• repacks

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• scoops (out)
• excavates
• shovels
• hollows (out)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dams

Noun

The country’s other hydroelectric dams produce no more than 100 megawatts combined, the employee said. — Hamza Fahmy, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026

Having your gutter system inspected and repaired before winter will also reduce the risk of ice dams forming inside the gutters. — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 28 Oct. 2026

This crane had nearly gone extinct before, driven in part by an explosion of new hydroelectric dams in the early 20th century, whose construction dried out local wetlands. — Sara Herschander, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026

In 2025, Hydro-Quebec, a company that generates electricity from dams across the province of Quebec, secured a deal with local regulators to use Maine as a corridor to supply clean energy to Massachusetts. — Stefano Tijerina, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026

A matter of climate and security Relocating populations to make way for dams is far from unprecedented in the region — though the practice often proves controversial. — Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026

Products like inflatable dams, flood barriers that attach to doors more like dog gates or even good ol’ fashioned waterproofing tapes and foams are generally fine to install. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026

Three dams along the Boardman River were taken out to reconnect coldwater streams and restore fish habitat. — CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Public Works is preparing for 24-hour operations, monitoring low-water crossings, dams, roadways, debris and traffic signals while staging barricades for potential road closures. — Jacob Beltran, San Antonio Express-News, 30 Sep. 2026

Verb

Then dams and expanding farmlands dried it up and turned it into a patchwork of fields, roads and towns. — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026

Mormon Flat, which dams Canyon Lake, was constructed in 1925, and is one of SRP’s oldest dams. — Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 18 Sep. 2026

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

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