as in breastworks
a raised bank or wall made of soil
prehistoric earthworks
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Recent Examples of earthworks
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
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
Andrew Scherer, a professor of archaeology and the ancient world, also at Brown, said the sheer size of the earthworks, their early age and the lack of a significant social hierarchy made the site particularly interesting.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
Rafael Peña, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 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
Andrew Scherer, a professor of archaeology and the ancient world, also at Brown, said the sheer size of the earthworks, their early age and the lack of a significant social hierarchy made the site particularly interesting.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earthworks
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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Breakfast patios overlook rafters drifting by; anglers cast from stone embankments; kayakers practice freestyle moves at the whitewater park in the middle of it all.—
Ted Alvarez,
Outside,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Military engineers resorted to building lower, thicker ramparts, backed by earth, and sought to eliminate blind spots by building angular bastions — the aforementioned extrusions.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
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In this sense, Welles’s songs are far better suited to social media than to the stage, to say nothing of the ramparts.—
Mitch Therieau,
New Yorker,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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On September 30th, a few days after the attack, Loomer called out Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai, the heads of Apple and Google, for making such programs available.—
Oriana van Praag,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
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The players in this for the long haul — Matas Buzelis, Tre Jones, Patrick Williams and Giddey — are still wrapping their heads around the next steps for a rebuild.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Lime was utilized in masonry bonding and surface finishing, so the exceptional find that has inspired locals to visit the site has opened a door onto the building blocks of the city, quite literally, the material and the methods that brought it to life.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Mar. 2026
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Ace Bailey led Utah with 25 points, seven rebounds, and a season-high five blocks.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Supporters say not only do the dams built by beavers help regulate the state's water supply, but the wetlands created by them also act as natural firebreaks, provide refuge for other wildlife during fires, and reduce downstream pollution after fires.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
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These storms have raised water levels, with one stream rising more than 10 feet, spiking fears about flooding and the structure of aging dams and reservoirs in the state.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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Chinese mitten crabs burrow into levees, dikes, and stream banks, increasing erosion and threatening flood-control systems.—
Staff Author Updated,
PEOPLE,
3 Dec. 2025
Noun
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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
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California legislators on Tuesday voiced their support for Senate Bill 872 — a bill aimed at reinforcing Delta levees and the State Water Project by directing $300 million annually to the state’s water infrastructure upgrades and repairs.—
Chaewon Chung,
Sacbee.com,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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After crushing Ukraine’s power grid during one of the worst winters in recent memory, Russian drone and missile barrages of civilian areas have continued unabated.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
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Sirens over Israel warned of barrages of incoming Iranian missiles and in the United Arab Emirates, two people were reported killed and three were wounded by falling shrapnel from a missile interception over Abu Dhabi on Thursday.—
Jon Gambrell,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Earthworks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earthworks. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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