as in embankment
a raised bank or wall made of soil
—usually plural
prehistoric earthworks
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Recent Examples of earthwork
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
The backstory People have been drawn to these magical 40 acres for centuries– the name comes from a Narragansett earthwork that once stood here, which to European settlers resembled a castle.
—Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 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
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
The backstory People have been drawn to these magical 40 acres for centuries– the name comes from a Narragansett earthwork that once stood here, which to European settlers resembled a castle.
—Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 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 front of a row of concrete markers tracing the border with Peru, two sandy-yellow Chilean military excavators crawl along a deep trench, digging three metres down before swinging sharply to dump bucketloads of earth into a rising embankment.—
John Bartlett,
NPR,
23 May 2026
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The car tumbled down an embankment into thick foliage, pictures posted on social media by Millers Creek Fire Department showed.—
Joe Marusak
May 16,
Charlotte Observer,
16 May 2026
Noun
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Our stroll began outside the medieval gate—only residents can drive through the stone ramparts—and ended with an aperitif on the square.—
Kevin West,
Travel + Leisure,
8 May 2026
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Located in the idyllic region of Ripollès, the ramparts of castle Llaés look out upon both the Pyrenees and bucolic hillsides where goats graze.—
Erika Owen,
Architectural Digest,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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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Around 100 artists will be working throughout the over 60,000-square-foot concrete levee over the weekend as part of an effort with PortKC to beautify the trail ahead of the World Cup.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee
May 22,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
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While the land up for sale is currently undeveloped, it's bordered by a neighborhood to its north and south, a river levee to the east, and a public road to the west.—
Cecilio Padilla,
CBS News,
15 May 2026
Noun
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In the penultimate episode, a fire at the Pineville Dam spiraled out of control, ravaging the infrastructure and causing the dam to break.—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 May 2026
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For a time, the nearby Elephant Butte Dam was the largest dam in the world and the town served as lodging and entertainment for dam workers.—
Don Tse,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Noun
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Constructing protective structures such as levees and dikes can help, as can preserving natural landscapes, such as wetlands and estuaries that can act as a natural sponge to absorb floodwaters, in and near the cities, Shao and her colleagues wrote.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
22 Apr. 2026
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The dikes would consist of walls surrounding the city, separating it from the lagoon, Lionello said.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2026
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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.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
18 May 2026
Noun
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That hyper-local, hyper-personal sense of trust and the village green is becoming an important bulwark against the erosion of values in other realms.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
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Over the last year, the Taiwanese Navy has been practicing the rapid deployment of cheap and domestically produced smart mines for the sea — a potential bulwark against enemy blockades of ports and hostile invasion forces.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Earthwork.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earthwork. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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