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
  • China Energy Investment Corp shared the update on Monday, calling it another step forward in building the world’s tallest dam and a major hydropower plant on the Dadu River.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Early settlers of the Valley constructed the Salt River's first dams and laid the groundwork for the area's future.
    — Alex Hager, NPR, 31 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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