dike 1 of 2

1
as in dam
a bank of earth constructed to control water an elaborate system of dikes built to protect the lowlands from the relentless onslaught of the sea

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2

dike

2 of 2

verb

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 dike
Noun
In addition to the hundreds of thousands of acres of marshland that were drained or diked off, the researchers discovered former wetlands that now are forested that were unknown to anybody. Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, 17 Aug. 2019 Ed Musial blames a series of finger dikes the state installed in the 1980s for channeling the river past their homes. Zaz Hollander, Anchorage Daily News, 30 June 2019
Verb
Park staff partially opened the valve in July after heavy rain caused water levels to overflow the dike, raising erosion concerns. Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 14 Aug. 2025 By taking down part of the old dike and building a new one farther back, the project has given the river some breathing room, expanding the floodplain. Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dike
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dike
Noun
  • Showing Up’s potentially myopic perspective contrasts significantly from Reichardt’s Night Moves, a film about radical white environmental activists whose designs of blowing up a dam backfires, causing their inept leader Josh (Jesse Eisenberg) to erratically cover his tracks.
    Robert Daniels, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
  • The technology automatically adjusts mooring line length in response to water-level changes, maintaining consistent tension and improving the reliability of floating solar installations on dams and reservoirs.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The pickup veered off the road, struck a concrete culvert and went airborne before landing in the ditch, according to police.
    Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 2 Oct. 2025
  • In heavy rain, refrain from parking or walking near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a grave danger.
    Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The commission unanimously agreed to fine Levy with a different penalty, a total of $1,428,750 for a combination of other violations that include clearing vegetation for a parking lot, installing unpermitted fencing on state land, building the pickleball court and more.
    Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Oct. 2025
  • This is a film that refuses to be fenced in, dabbling in the undead, the magical, and, perhaps most importantly, the sapphic.
    Samantha Allen, Them., 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • By Fathom’s estimate, a 100-year flood could cause the nearby Columbia River to spill over a levee that protects Richland, then loosely follow the creek to the hospitals.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Utilities, the levee and Interstate 80 limit where workers can place boring equipment around Prospect Slough, Moreno wrote.
    Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Toss it under a blazer or trench with jeans for a sleek fall outfit, or go casual with sweats and sneakers on a flight.
    Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Sweeping in with trademark energy, McCartney wore a classic oversized trench with architectural shoulders.
    Sasha Pinto, Vogue, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Animals that are kennel-trained will likely be pleased to be in their cozy confines and away from the bustle of vacuums, mops, and the like, but for those who are roamers, consider gating off an area for them.
    Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2025
  • The new trains are faster, capable speeds of up to 160 miles per hour, while most of Amtrak's current rolling stock is gated at 125 miles per hour.
    Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The front of the school bus, meanwhile, was entangled with a tree in the embankment, the body of the bus tilted completely to one side.
    Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Three years ago this week, Hardy was on his way back from a concert in Bristol, Tennessee, when his tour bus careened off the road and rolled down an embankment.
    Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Krasznahorkai eventually found a global cult audience, who recognized his distinct ability to cloak anomie, violence, and resignation, smudged with a kind of gutter comedy, within a labyrinthine syntax.
    Walt Hunter, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Mosquitoes need water to breed, so limit standing water around your home by cleaning gutters and downspouts, removing leaves from low-lying areas and draining dishes under flower pots after rainstorms.
    Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dike.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dike. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.

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