as in breastworks
a raised bank or wall made of soil
prehistoric earthworks
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Recent Examples of earthworks
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
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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Cars were also forced off the road and shoved into embankments.—
Kathryn Prociv,
NBC news,
20 Jan. 2026
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Decades ago, farmers built simple earthen embankments to protect their fields and livestock from seasonal flooding.—
Farshid Vahedifard,
The Conversation,
29 Dec. 2025
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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Football heads on social media couldn’t help but notice the name, Karene Reid, on the Denver roster ahead of Sunday’s AFC title game between the Patriots and Broncos.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
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But so was the team's coach and that's why the decision revealed on Thursday had parents scratching their heads.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Clara Silva’s defense was huge, with the sophomore center having multiple blocks and making the Sun Devils consider and reconsider every shot at the rim.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Jan. 2026
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The truck was stopped several blocks away, surrounded by police cars, The Associated Press reported.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Clear out your gutters and drains to prevent melting snow and ice from building up and causing ice dams.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
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Crews would build dams in a 13,000-acre area, and fill with the site with water brought in through pipes from the Sacramento River during periods of high flow.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 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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January is breeding season for the invasive snakes in Florida, and the species is known to congregate in breeding balls on elevated levees and tree islands.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Jan. 2026
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Now, though levees may not exactly be back, royal affectations and the disputes that go with them are.—
Jake Lundberg,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Russian barrages are aiming at power plants and large substations, and procuring replacement equipment such as transformers can take months, according to Dennis Sakva, an energy sector analyst at Dragon Capital, a Ukrainian investment company.—
Vasilisa Stepanenko,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
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The fighting included fighter jet sorties, exchanges of rocket fire and artillery barrages.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Earthworks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earthworks. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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