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

Similarly, large-scale hydroelectric dams disrupt freshwater ecosystems by fragmenting rivers, blocking migratory fish species like salmon, and altering natural sediment flows. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026

Water that isn’t trapped in dams or pulled from wells or rivers eventually reaches the Pacific Ocean. — Idaho Statesman, 15 Aug. 2026

As opposed to beavers that build dams and lodges, block streams and divert and channel water, these beavers dig underwater into the bank of the reservoir and access their burrows through underground tunnels. — Carl R. Gold, Baltimore Sun, 14 Aug. 2026

Nearly all the power that does exist comes from hydropower dams concentrated in the cyclone-prone south, hundreds of miles from demand in the capital. — Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026

During much of the 2010s, Beijing poured billions of dollars into in Latin American infrastructure, such as ports, massive dams, and even a transcontinental railway meant to link Peru’s Pacific coast to Brazil’s Atlantic. — Natalia Cote-Muñoz, Foreign Affairs, 3 Aug. 2026

The Bureau of Reclamation, which manages dams along the river, now plans to provide an additional $100 million for water conservation programs in the four upstream states, paying farmers and ranchers who agree to use less. — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026

But the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 shifted federal spending priorities toward national defense and power-generating dams, delaying flood-control measures such as levees designed to protect low-lying communities like Argentine. — Michelle Oliva-Espinosa, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026

Because California is the nation’s largest agricultural producer and most populous state, demand for water is high, and wildlife often suffers when water from dams is diverted to farmland. — Velvet Wu july 17, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026

Verb

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