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
  • Many dams on Great Lakes tributaries have been that alternative, inadvertently shutting lampreys out of prime spawning grounds.
    Katie Thornton, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Rakovskyi’s camerawork is especially dynamic during a sequence that closely follows animal rescue efforts in the flooded area around the Dnipro River after the June 2023 destruction of a dam (Ukraine and Russia blamed each other for the devastation, which displaced thousands of people).
    Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • According to a search warrant application filed after the crash, first responders located several beer cans in the ditch where the fire truck rolled.
    Tom Cherveny, Twin Cities, 15 Oct. 2025
  • If reaching a safe shelter is not possible, either crouch down in your car and cover your head, or leave your vehicle and seek refuge in a low-lying area like a ditch or ravine.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • These will need to be fenced off while large international construction firms take on the challenges of rubble, explosives, bodies and collapsed subterranean tunnels before tall buildings can rise.
    Shelly Culbertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The Plaza at Rancho Bernardo has two new studios for people who want to learn Indian classical dance or how to fence.
    Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Most of those rescues happened on the east side of Vallecito Creek, where a levee break caused rapid flooding.
    Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Yolo County officials are urging motorists to use caution on South River Road, a levee-top roadway that stretches from West Sacramento to the Freeport Bridge along the Sacramento River, due to shoulder erosion that has created hazardous driving conditions.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Carve a trench next to a body of water and the liquid flows convincingly into the gap.
    Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Macy wears a trench, and beneath it, a sheer negligee.
    Charlie Markbreiter, Them., 21 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 driver then returned to the correct lane but hit the embankment, causing the vehicle to flip on its side.
    Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 19 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
  • Clean gutters regularly so water flows away from your house and doesn’t back up into the soffits and under the roofline.
    Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Leaves near decks, patios, walkways, or gutters should be removed to prevent staining and blockages.
    Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dike.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dike. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.

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