retaining wall

See synonyms for retaining wall on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a wall for holding in place a mass of earth or the like, as at the edge of a terrace or excavation.

Origin of retaining wall

1
First recorded in 1830–40
  • Also called breast wall.

Words Nearby retaining wall

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use retaining wall in a sentence

  • I was on a night run once in the neighborhood where I grew up, and showed off for some porch-sitters by leaping onto and off of a retaining wall, tramping through what I thought were rhododendrons before going back to the pavement.

  • Marvin hops over the edge of his retaining wall, which he built.

  • Excavations have shown that Eridu was protected by a retaining wall of sandstone, of which material many of its houses were made.

    Myths of Babylonia and Assyria | Donald A. Mackenzie
  • As the last good-night was spoken Helen sought mechanically the low retaining wall against which she had so often rested.

    The Spell | William Dana Orcutt
  • He stumbled rather than walked to the retaining wall, and rested against it for support.

    The Spell | William Dana Orcutt

British Dictionary definitions for retaining wall

retaining wall

noun
  1. a wall constructed to hold back earth, loose rock, etc: Also called: revetment

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