dam

¹ American  

[dam] / dæm /

noun

1. a barrier to obstruct the flow of water, especially one of earth, masonry, etc., built across a stream or river.

2. a body of water confined by a dam.

3. any barrier resembling a dam.

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verb (used with object)

dammed, damming

1. to furnish with a dam; obstruct or confine with a dam.

2. to stop up; block up.

   Synonyms:

   choke, check, clog, impede

dam ² American  

[dam] / dæm /

noun

1. a female parent (used especially of four-footed domestic animals).

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dam ³ American  

abbreviation

1. dekameter; dekameters.

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Dam ⁴ American  

[dam, dahm] / dæm, dɑm /

noun

1. (Carl Peter) Henrik 1895–1976, Danish biochemist: Nobel Prize in Medicine 1943.

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dam ¹ British  

/ dæm /

noun

1. a barrier of concrete, earth, etc, built across a river to create a body of water for a hydroelectric power station, domestic water supply, etc

2. a reservoir of water created by such a barrier

3. something that resembles or functions as a dam

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verb

1. to obstruct or restrict by or as if by a dam

Dam ² British  

/ dam /

noun

1. ( Carl Peter ) Henrik (ˈhɛnrəɡ). 1895–1976, Danish biochemist who discovered vitamin K (1934): Nobel prize for physiology or medicine 1943

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dam ³ British  

/ dæm /

noun

1. the female parent of an animal, esp of domestic livestock

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dam ⁴ British  

/ dæm /

interjection

1. (often used in combination) a variant spelling of damn damn damn damn

   damfool

   dammit

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dam ⁵ British  

symbol

1. decametre(s)

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dam Idioms  

1. see water over the dam.

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Etymology

Origin of dam¹

1275–1325; Middle English < Middle Dutch, Middle Low German, dam; akin to Old English for-demman to stop up, block

Origin of dam²

1250–1300; Middle English; variant of dame

Example Sentences

Her work on an investigative series into Brazil’s deadly dam collapse won a 2019 Sabew and received an Overseas Press Club of America honorable mention.

From The Wall Street Journal

As of December, its dams were only around 30 percent full on average, and farmers have largely relied on rainwater for irrigation.

From Barron's

"Since the start of January, discharges from dams and reservoirs have been the equivalent of about a year of our country's water consumption," Maria Graça Carvalho told Portuguese media.

From BBC

"There is no scenario in which we can be dependent," he said on a visit to a hydroelectric dam in eastern France.

From Barron's

What if the earthquake had created a natural dam of fallen trees?

From Literature

Related Words

• bank
• barrier
• dike
• ditch
• gate
• levee