embankment

noun

im-ˈbaŋk-mənt How to pronounce embankment (audio)
Definition of embankmentnext
as in levee
a bank of earth constructed to control water the embankment is steep, so be careful walking along the ridge

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of embankment In the footage, a pair of fire special operations team members, hooked onto ropes, rappel down the cliff to where the dog stands on a small embankment. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 2026 Assam has invested heavily in embankments, erosion-control structures, flood walls and other engineering. — ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026 In June, three people died after losing control of their vehicle and tumbling 400 feet off an embankment in the Santa Cruz Mountains. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026 Five people were injured after two cars crashed and rolled down a 405 Freeway embankment near Burbank and Van Nuys on Saturday night. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for embankment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for embankment
  1. levee
  2. dam
Noun
  • After Katrina made landfall in Louisiana, the failure of New Orleans’ federal levee system inundated about 80% of the city in floodwaters.
    — JACK BROOK, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The landfill, a former marsh that is separated from San Francisco Bay by an earthen levee, first became an garbage dump in 1938.
    — Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of levee
Noun
  • Videos broadcast by regional news outlets and posted on social media show violent torrents of water surging through valleys and mountain passes, tearing down bridges and dams and sweeping away buildings.
    — Arshad R. Zargar, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • During that incident, hackers gained access to a digital system which remotely controls one of the dam’s valves and opened it to increase the water flow.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of dam

Browse Nearby Words

embanking
embankment
embankments
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Cite this Entry

“Embankment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/embankment. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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