dam
noun
a barrier to obstruct the flow of water, especially one of earth, masonry, etc., built across a stream or river.
dam
1 American
[dam]
/ dæm /
noun
-
a barrier to obstruct the flow of water, especially one of earth, masonry, etc., built across a stream or river.
-
a body of water confined by a dam.
-
any barrier resembling a dam.
dam
2
American
[dam]
/ dæm /
noun
dam
3
American
abbreviation
Dam
4
American
[dam, dahm]
/ dæm, dɑm /
noun
dam
1
British
/ dæm /
noun
-
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
-
a reservoir of water created by such a barrier
-
something that resembles or functions as a dam
verb
Dam
2
British
/ dam /
noun
dam
3
British
/ dæm /
noun
dam
4
British
/ dæm /
interjection
dam
5
British
symbol
dam
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
damsimple
-
damssimple
-
have dammedperfect
-
has dammedperfect
-
am dammingprogressive
-
are dammingprogressive
-
is dammingprogressive
-
have been dammingperfect progressive
-
has been dammingperfect progressive
Past
-
dammedsimple
-
had dammedperfect
-
was dammingprogressive
-
were dammingprogressive
-
had been dammingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
A barrier built to block the flow of water is called a dam. If you walk along a stream, you can see where beavers have built a dam out of mud and logs. As a verb, dam means to obstruct or blockade as with a dam. If the kids you're babysitting dam up the bathtub drain when you're not paying attention, the water might overflow and cause a waterfall into the living room downstairs. But water isn't the only thing that can be dammed. You shouldn't dam up your emotions — go ahead and scream if you need to.
Vocabulary lists containing dam
"A Modest Proposal," Vocabulary from the satire
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East Asia - Middle School
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East Asia - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
Nepali police urged all rescuers to "immediately move to a safe location", saying they had received information that "a water dam has burst again on the Tibetan side".
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
The Ecuadorian government launched legal proceedings against Sinohydro in 2021 due to cracks appearing in the dam and other technical failures.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
In 2023, a glacial lake burst in the northeastern Indian state of Sikkim, killing people and destroying a hydropower dam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Listen to the full Witness History episode about the race to save wildlife at the Itaipu dam on BBC Sounds.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
I pushed Izio into some deep, deep place inside me and built a dam across my sadness.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
Last month marked a grim milestone: the combined volume of both reservoirs hit their lowest level since 1957, when Glen Canyon Dam was still under construction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Dam safety laws allowed municipalities with their own engineering departments to operate without state oversight, and Mulholland had taken advantage of this loophole.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Earlier in July, local journalists were asked to "soften" their language to describe a major breach in the wall of the Liulan Dam near Naning as an "opening" or "gap".
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
California naturalist John Muir compared the two valleys’ beauties, but that was before Hetch Hetchy Valley was transformed by the O’Shaughnessy Dam into a massive reservoir.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
This lower stretch of the river, from Hoover Dam to the gulf, has little in common with the unbridled torrent that explodes through the Grand Canyon, some 250 miles upstream from Topock.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
She said it’s also positive for rivers because there is “mounting evidence that some dams and reservoirs and water infrastructure do more harm than good.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Traditional water bodies, including ponds and check dams, have been revived across the region, while women-led groups known as Jal Sahelis work in villages to monitor supplies and promote water conservation.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
The Dutch -- with their dikes, dams and vast waterworks--have long been admired for their tenacity in the face of flood risks.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
The country is less reliant on imports and has a more diverse energy mix that makes use of its hydroelectric Alpine dams.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Down the ravine, west of the hill above the springhouse, Harry had built three wonderful little dams.
From "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen
These lakes are prone to failing because they are precariously dammed by walls made of frozen earth, rocks and ice created by the movement of a glacier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
Some Alaskans are evacuating their homes as meltwater escapes a basin dammed by the Mendenhall Glacier - raising fears of record-breaking flooding in the US state's capital city.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2025
Stained glass windows on the west side of the church, in the direct path of the storm, were shattered, allowing rain inside in addition to dammed stormwater forced into the building, Glenn said.
From Seattle Times ● May 21, 2024
Meadows along those dammed riverscapes have already acted as wildlife safety zones during several fires that burned through the reservation over the past few years, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2024
The words spill out of me, a tumbling river I've dammed up for too long.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Growing up in rural Monmouthshire, she regularly got covered in mud and played for hours in the woods with her younger brother, damming rivers and making dens.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
Habitat destruction, damming, and pollution have decimated local populations, such that many species are in dire need of help.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 2024
The fight between environmentalists and dam builders escalated in the 1960s, after the bureau proposed damming the Colorado River next to another U.S. treasure: Grand Canyon National Park.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2024
California has essentially gotten out of the business of building surface reservoirs though damming — “this is probably the last gasp of the concept of California surface reservoirs,” Gleick told me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2023
And he pushed the King out of the door, damming it in his face.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
