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
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Example Sentences
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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
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Declines in groundwater levels have in recent years caused household wells to sputter and run dry, streams and wetlands to dry up, and land to sink, damaging canals and levees.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
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But farming communities nationwide have been adversely affected by the president's tariff policy, as global trading partners scaled back agricultural purchases like soybeans in retaliation for higher levees.—
Jennifer Jacobs,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Lupines flourish in ditches and on highway embankments—especially north of Duluth along Highway 61, the Minnesota scenic byway that traces Lake Superior's north shore.—
Erika Ebsworth-Goold,
Midwest Living,
20 Apr. 2026
-
During heavy rain, avoid parking or walking near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a serious risk.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Daily News,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Like many dams in Michigan, the Cheboygan complex was once owned by utilities to generate power for the region.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
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In Michigan, officials are closely monitoring several dams under stress from high water.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Their work, however, has survived in the deep trenches at New Cut which have endured for three hundred years.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
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His journey — from the ideological trenches of the Caracas socialist regime to the cultural corridors of Hollywood — offers a rare window into how power, influence and reinvention intersect across borders.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Slopes or embankments are classified by their gradient (vertical rise over 100 feet).—
The San Diego Union Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
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It was shortened again by the construction of embankments in 1835 or 1836 and in 1838.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Preservationists, the town and the property owner appear to have been at a stalemate since 2018, and walls are now covered in invasive vines, windows are broken out, gutters are dangling and paint has peeled off windowsills.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
20 Apr. 2026
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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,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Neville hedges his bet by filling us in on Michaels’ spotlight apprehension, making his reticence a through line.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
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Below the threshold, AI hedges your brand or ignores it.—
Jason BARNARD,
Rolling Stone,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dikes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dikes. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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