as in embankment
a raised bank or wall made of soil
—usually plural
prehistoric earthworks
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Recent Examples of earthwork
Lantern Light Magic End the day with the Lantern Light Tour at Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, where the night sky transforms the ancient earthworks into an unforgettable experience.
—
Rafael Peña,
Miami Herald,
20 Mar. 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
Residents allege that approving earthwork without a site plan prevents meaningful public review and undermines environmental and infrastructure protections, court documents state.
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Deborah Laverty,
Chicago Tribune,
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
Rafael Peña,
Miami Herald,
20 Mar. 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
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
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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The house sits on a road tucked alongside a steep railroad embankment, where tracks carry rumbling trains to a rail yard in the village of fewer than 1,000 residents.
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The house where the children were found sits on a road tucked away alongside a steep railroad embankment, where tracks carry rumbling trains through Hamden.
Noun
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Gaspare Fossati, the architect best known for restoring Hagia Sophia, renovated the building in the 1840s, while the remains of 13th-century Genoese ramparts still form part of the restaurant walls downstairs.
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Finally, unable to stand down the household guard on her own, Alicent confesses her scheme to Helaena, who orders the sentries on the ramparts to hold fire when Rhaenyra flies in on Syrax.
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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Multiple levee breaches inundated the entire Lower Ninth Ward during the storm, killing many and damaging or destroying thousands of homes.
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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.
Noun
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Other risks to metal production from El Nino include the potential for aluminum and zinc shortages caused by low water levels in hydroelectric dams in China’s southern Yunnan province.
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Montezuma County officials also ordered evacuations for private lands in the lower Dolores River corridor, from the dam to Bradfield Bridge, Ferris fire officials said.
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 6 Jul. 2026.
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