1
as in levees
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
Relevance
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 dikes
Evan Bush, NBC news, 13 Dec. 2025
Chinese mitten crabs burrow into levees, dikes, and stream banks, increasing erosion and threatening flood-control systems.
—Staff Author Updated, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
While the new dikes are funded by the federal government, the extensive reforestation efforts are privately covered by a non-governmental organization.
—Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Noun
Officials had worried that a system of dikes along the Skagit River would fail, and potentially inundate parts of Mount Vernon, a riverside town of about 35,000.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 13 Dec. 2025
Chinese mitten crabs burrow into levees, dikes, and stream banks, increasing erosion and threatening flood-control systems.
—Staff Author Updated, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
While the new dikes are funded by the federal government, the extensive reforestation efforts are privately covered by a non-governmental organization.
—Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dikes
Noun
-
To reshape the Mountain View pond and reinforce levees against sea-level rise and storm surges, crews imported 180,000 cubic yards of fill dirt from local construction sites.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The channel is meant to boost flood control and replace aging levees built in the wake of the 1949 flood.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The elaborate network of rainfall, rivulets of ditches, and control structures became a sort of language for Van Lent.—
Michael Adno,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Instead, the women and their husbands found out about the data center project from speaking directly to the workers hired to move dirt and dig runoff ditches ahead of construction.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Then, should a wet winter come next year, SRP’s system could totally refill — something that would take many wet years behind the Colorado River dams.—
Brandon Loomis,
AZCentral.com,
7 Mar. 2026
-
But Iran is less vulnerable to attacks on desalination, because its water supply relies instead on dams and wells.—
Michael Christopher Low,
The Conversation,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Just offshore, Mafia Island Marine Park is home to vibrant coral reef systems and elaborate trenches ideal for diving.—
Melanie van Zyl,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The crispy blonde beer next door earned this top seed in those trenches, but the Newport brew's big run ended in the Final Four against the eventual champ, Crazy Norse, also from Kentucky.—
Rasputin Todd,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Breakfast patios overlook rafters drifting by; anglers cast from stone embankments; kayakers practice freestyle moves at the whitewater park in the middle of it all.—
Ted Alvarez,
Outside,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Steep embankments, streams, and pond banks require extra caution.—
Nadia Hassani,
The Spruce,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Walz never seemed more animated than when a podcaster asked him to expound on the topic of residential rain gutters.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Clean your gutters and downspouts at least once a year (more often if they get clogged with leaves or other debris).—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Royal Caribbean, which hedges roughly 60% of its fuel costs, was less affected than Norwegian and Carnival.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Newsom hedges his bets by portraying the budget as a placeholder that covers little more than spending increases driven by law, inflation and caseload until more revenue data are received.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dikes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dikes. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
