as in embankment
a raised bank or wall made of soil
—usually plural
prehistoric earthworks
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Recent Examples of earthwork
One of America’s oldest plantations, Magnolia was established in the 1670s as a rice plantation featuring extensive dikes and earthworks built by enslaved Africans with a link to the Gullah culture.
—
Noreen Kompanik, Boston Herald, 3 Aug. 2025
Wander shaded trails, explore the fort’s earthworks, and take in the views across the James River.
—Erin Gifford, Southern Living, 20 June 2025
Hundreds of people braved Ohio’s snowy winter to experience the earthwork.
—Kevin Williams, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 May 2025
Four years later, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the Ohio History Connection could move forward with its plans to open up access to the earthworks.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 2 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for earthwork
Noreen Kompanik, Boston Herald, 3 Aug. 2025
Wander shaded trails, explore the fort’s earthworks, and take in the views across the James River.
—Erin Gifford, Southern Living, 20 June 2025
Hundreds of people braved Ohio’s snowy winter to experience the earthwork.
—Kevin Williams, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 May 2025
Four years later, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the Ohio History Connection could move forward with its plans to open up access to the earthworks.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 2 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for earthwork
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earthwork
Noun
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Deputies with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office tried to stop the vehicle, but a brief pursuit ensued before the suspect vehicle crashed into an embankment near Hillsdale Boulevard and Greeholme Drive, police said.—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
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Local news reports confirmed the student’s car was found down a large embankment off of Malibu Canyon Road near Pepperdine University.—
Tarek Fattal,
Daily News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Great views of Lisbon abound from numerous venues throughout the city, but this one, with its maze of towers, ramparts, and courtyards atop the highest hill in the city, is the most distinctive setting.—
Alia Akkam,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 Jan. 2026
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It is comprised of two ramparts, one around the exterior of the village, and a small one situated at the center of the mound.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The infantrymen around him peeped painfully over the heap of dirt that substituted for a breastwork.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Of the first cities to be incorporated in California, Marysville retains its place as the smallest, with about 13,000 people within its borders sealed by a ring of levees that protect the city.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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The Marysville ring levee project started in 2010.—
Kayla Moeller,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The construction of the first dams on the Columbia River, including the Grand Coulee and Bonneville in the 1930s, provided jobs during the Great Depression as well as hydropower and navigation.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Feb. 2026
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The construction of the first dams on the Columbia River, including the Grand Coulee and Bonneville in the 1930s, provided jobs during the Great Depression as well as hydropower and navigation.—
Claire Rush,
Fortune,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Refurbishment of the dike around the lake is finished, and a revision of the lake management rules went into effect in 2024.—
Amy Green,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
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Brandon Bell / Getty Images Since then, people have been fortifying dike systems to contain the water, often building housing and industrial buildings as close to the edge as flood plain planners allow.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Manmade structures like the pier and breakwater at Michigan City and the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor in Portage disrupt the natural flow of sand along the southern shore of Lake Michigan.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Jan. 2026
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The property is located on JBR Beach, which is protected by a bay formed by peninsulas and breakwaters on two sides.—
Rob Reed,
Forbes.com,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
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For many, this is not only a prudent act of personal safety, but an expression of liberty and a bulwark against government overreach.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
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Strengthening the City Council Office of Financial Analysis would be a good next step toward establishing a true separation of powers as a bulwark of Chicago city government.—
David Greising,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Earthwork.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earthwork. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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