Thesaurus results for LEVEES

levees

noun

plural of levee

as in dams

a bank of earth constructed to control water the raging floodwaters were too much for the levee to handle

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as in wharves

a structure used by boats and ships for taking on or landing cargo and passengers we tied the boat up at the levee and started unloading the fish we had caught

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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 levees The state is pre-positioning more than 4 million sandbags, more than 50,000 feet of portable flood barriers and 400,000 tons of rock to repair levees. — Adrian Florido, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026 At 18 feet, low-lying rural areas outside the levees begin to flood. — Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026 By the Army Corps’ estimate, by the early 2000s, 86% of Fort Worth’s levees were no longer tall enough to protect against that kind of biblical flooding. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2026 Old levees and dams, for example, can leave a community vulnerable to catastrophic flooding, as the Seattle area saw in December 2025 when flooding from heavy rainfall broke levees in multiple communities. — Bethany Tietjen, The Conversation, 21 Sep. 2026 Before there were levees, there were 4 million acres of wetland here, an inland marsh that took the Sierra’s runoff every spring. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for levees

Noun

This crane had nearly gone extinct before, driven in part by an explosion of new hydroelectric dams in the early 20th century, whose construction dried out local wetlands.

— Sara Herschander, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026
In 2025, Hydro-Quebec, a company that generates electricity from dams across the province of Quebec, secured a deal with local regulators to use Maine as a corridor to supply clean energy to Massachusetts.

— Stefano Tijerina, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of dams

Noun

But in 1820, Shippingport had about 600 residents, three wharves for steamboats, taverns and a flour mill.

— Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 16 Aug. 2026
The redevelopment would change that by extending and upgrading existing wharves and dredging areas around the docks.

— David Nikel, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of wharves

Noun

Water began to flood the streets of Baja California Sur on Monday hours after residents boarded up homes and set up embankments as Hurricane Polo bore down on the peninsula Monday, threatening high winds, floods and mudslides.

— Megan Janetsky, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026
How levees work Levees are earthen embankments positioned parallel to a river that effectively raise the height of the banks of the river to prevent overflow when the river swells.

— Kaleigh Yost, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of embankments

Noun

The legacy of The Beatles has helped transform Liverpool into a culture and nightlife destination, reviving the city’s economy after decades of decline following the closure of its docks.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Hurricane Betsy in 1965 knocked the building off its pilings and destroyed two rooms, hundreds of feet of docks and other property.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of docks

Noun

Extreme waves that winter destroyed one-third of the Santa Monica Pier and tore off large sections of the Huntington Beach Pier and the Paradise Cove Pier, while also damaging the Seal Beach, San Clemente and Malibu piers.

— Gary Griggs, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2026
The county maintains the underwater land that would house the marina piers is part of the same piece of real estate as the upland Seaquarium property.

— Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of piers

Noun

Wine is embedded in the city’s architecture, history and daily life, from grand 18th-century façades to the bustling quays of the Garonne.

— Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
According to Vantor, the image shows the construction of a dry dock and new quays and piers at one of China’s most strategically important bases.

— Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 8 Dec. 2025

Definition of quays

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“Levees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/levees. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of levees

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