floodway

noun

Definition of floodwaynext
as in spillway

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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 floodway Private property floodways and floodplains are mostly affected when extreme weather events occur, village officials said. — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026 Call it resilience, call it infrastructure, call it economic development—just build it before the next 8-year-old goes to sleep in a floodway. — Daniel Lehewych, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Sep. 2025 Corey Waldrop, who owns the property and is developing it under his company Motiv Ventures, plans to reclaim some of that floodway and the adjacent floodplain. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Aug. 2025 Many jurisdictions outright prohibit new construction in floodways, but most of those rules apply only to immovable structures. — Bayliss Wagner, Austin American Statesman, 1 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for floodway
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floodway
  1. spillway
  2. sluice
Noun
  • Garwood said the spillway system dates to the late 1960s, but the pipe was lined last year.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
  • The largest among them, the Hardy Dam on the Muskegon River, needs a multi-hundred-million-dollar spillway upgrade to comply with modern flood safety standards.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 12 June 2026
Definition of spillway
Noun
  • Dam Removal Europe found that the number of dams dismantled in 2025, along with other water-flow controls like weirs, culverts and sluices, grew by 11% from the year before.
    — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 3 June 2026
  • The archways are furnished with sluice gates that can open to allow excess water to pass through in periods of flooding.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Definition of sluice

Browse Nearby Words

flood tides
floodway
floodways
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Floodway.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floodway. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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