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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Steep embankments, streams, and pond banks require extra caution.—
Nadia Hassani,
The Spruce,
22 Feb. 2026
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But the flooding would be less powerful than at the old site, Wing said, and its impact could be lessened by elevating the hospital or building earthen embankments.—
Brett Kelman,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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Video circulating on social media shows tense moments inside the cabin as passengers were instructed to put their heads down and raise their hands while armed officers entered the plane.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
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Members of the mother’s group, Walker’s family and advocates, held hands and in unison bowed their heads to listen.—
Mariana Navarrete Villegas,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Ware finished with 12 points, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
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Jones-Wood remembers seeing local kids stay in line at a food truck as gunfire and a police vehicle chase erupted a few blocks away.—
Cameron Knight,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Although the primary job of Bureau of Reclamation is to operate dams to supply water and power, the Grand Canyon Protection Act requires it to balance those needs with environmental protection.—
Brandon Loomis,
AZCentral.com,
28 Feb. 2026
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Who knows if that trip was key to fewer dams on the river today, but those fierce adversaries shared more river time than our leaders do today.—
Pete McBride,
Time,
27 Feb. 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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To reshape the Mountain View pond and reinforce levees against sea-level rise and storm surges, crews imported 180,000 cubic yards of fill dirt from local construction sites.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
21 Feb. 2026
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The channel is meant to boost flood control and replace aging levees built in the wake of the 1949 flood.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The expensive and time-consuming journey is worth it, travelers said, to avoid the regular barrages of Iranian missiles.—
Matt Nighswander,
NBC news,
4 Mar. 2026
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For Iran, sustaining smaller but continuous barrages may be more effective than large one-time strikes.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Earthworks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earthworks. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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