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Showing results for embankment. Search instead for Embankment+Pier.
Synonyms

embankment

American  
[em-bangk-muhnt] / ɛmˈbæŋk mənt /

noun

  1. a bank, mound, dike, or the like, raised to hold back water, carry a roadway, etc.

  2. the action of embanking.


embankment British  
/ ɪmˈbæŋkmənt /

noun

  1. a man-made ridge of earth or stone that carries a road or railway or confines a waterway See also levee 1

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of embankment

First recorded in 1780–90; embank + -ment

Vocabulary lists containing embankment

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Shoemaker swerved right off the 210 and rolled his Ford Bronco down the embankment, about three stories high, and onto the 57 freeway.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2026

On the morning of 6 April 2009, a lorry driver pulled off the M4 and parked in an underpass near Porthcawl, south Wales, and spotted a suitcase in an embankment.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

Some of the carriages had tumbled down an embankment of four metres, Sanz said at his press conference.

From Barron's • Jan. 18, 2026

"We will have to cut back the shoulders of this damaged area in steps and bring in new material of the right quality to rebuild the embankment up in levels," she said.

From BBC • Jan. 4, 2026

“Started up again,” I told Grant Burch, scrambling up the embankment.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

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