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

It includes measures such as banning activities in certain areas where species could be harmed or killed, like dam construction.

From BBC

I’m about to dive in, shatter the perfect mirror beneath me, when my phone chimes his chime, and the relaxed confidence I was enjoying rushes out of me, like water rushing from a broken dam.

From Literature

He traveled around New England and wrote about it, looking for nature at its most untamed, but sometimes finding mills and factories and a river dammed.

From Los Angeles Times

The Guards control big companies that have been given public contracts for dams, highways and metro lines, hospitals, swanky hotels and coffee shops, according to public disclosures by Revolutionary Guard-controlled companies.

From The Wall Street Journal

Spikes in black fly activity are often caused by scheduled water releases from upstream dams, which are necessary for the region’s water management but also create ideal breeding conditions for the pests.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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