as in embankment
a raised bank or wall made of soil
—usually plural
prehistoric earthworks
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Recent Examples of earthwork
Near the bluff-top Gregory House, river views and Civil War earthworks add a layer of living history to the climb.
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Carrie Honaker,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Mar. 2026
Residents allege that approving earthwork without a site plan prevents meaningful public review and undermines environmental and infrastructure protections, court documents state.
—
Deborah Laverty,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
According to those standards and Google Earth elevation data, that could require earthwork to raise the ground of the Unicoi site by at least 8 feet and as much as 18 feet before construction.
—
Brett Kelman,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
As the seat of the Kingdom of Benin, the city was renowned for monumental earthworks and extraordinary bronze artistry.
—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for earthwork
Carrie Honaker,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Mar. 2026
Residents allege that approving earthwork without a site plan prevents meaningful public review and undermines environmental and infrastructure protections, court documents state.
—
Deborah Laverty,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
According to those standards and Google Earth elevation data, that could require earthwork to raise the ground of the Unicoi site by at least 8 feet and as much as 18 feet before construction.
—
Brett Kelman,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
As the seat of the Kingdom of Benin, the city was renowned for monumental earthworks and extraordinary bronze artistry.
—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for earthwork
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earthwork
Noun
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In northwestern Kentucky, just outside Louisville, Bullitt County emergency management officials asked residents of a rural road to evacuate as a precaution after a landslide at a dam embankment.
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An initial investigation determined that the BMW was eastbound on the highway when the driver lost control, causing the vehicle to go off the road and down a steep embankment.
Noun
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In 1946, Picasso set up his studio in Château Grimaldi, a former medieval castle perched above the ramparts.
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The best are those on top floors with views of the pool or Caribbean Sea beyond city ramparts—uninterrupted for over 500 miles north to Jamaica.
Noun
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The infantrymen around him peeped painfully over the heap of dirt that substituted for a breastwork.
Noun
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Maintaining urban wetlands can help reduce flooding, protect property and recharge groundwater more effectively and for less money than building and maintaining levees.
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Many residents who live near the project are concerned over a big increase in traffic, especially along the Garden Highway, which is a narrow, two-lane levee road.
Noun
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In Page, Arizona, the small city next to the dam, tourism has taken a hit because of news coverage of the lake levels, city spokesman Adam Geller said.
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At one point, the water reached less than 6 inches from the top of the dam.
Noun
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More than 1 billion gallons of ash spilled into waterways and neighboring properties after a dike ruptured.
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This is absolutely elite stuff all around, a whirlwind of the Knicks finding the net opening and making the right play, and the Spurs scrambling like mad to plug each new hole in the dike before finally Wembanyama seals it with a block at the rim.
Noun
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The city is also looking at water circulation around the pier, specifically how the breakwater changes the environment, Parry said.
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The shark was apparently first found wedged in rocks by the breakwater at Salty Brine State Beach in Galilee, but then the shark freed itself and started swimming in circles.
Noun
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For the past 30 years, the 6,000-square-foot bulwark served as the Yancey County Public Library, but no amount of shelving could mask the fact something more complex and was just below the surface.
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In casting a figure who could embody an industry, a medium, a bulwark against unworthy encroachers and invaders, Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow brought in Burrows as the most believable person possible.
Cite this Entry
“Earthwork.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earthwork. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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