dam

¹

[dam]

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.

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

[dam]

noun

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

dam

³

abbreviation

1. dekameter; dekameters.

Dam

⁴

[dam, dahm]

noun

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

dam

¹

/ 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

verb

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

Dam

²

/ dam /

noun

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

dam

³

/ dæm /

noun

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

dam

⁴

/ dæm /

interjection

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

   damfool

   dammit

dam

⁵

symbol

1. decametre(s)

Word History and Origins

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dam¹

C12: probably from Middle Low German; compare Old Icelandic damma to block up

Origin of dam²

C13: variant of _dame

Idioms and Phrases

see water over the dam.

Example Sentences

In 1985, he commissioned an R. Crumb-illustrated edition of “The Monkey Wrench Gang,” Abbey’s cult novel about a ragtag crew of eco-saboteurs waging war on bulldozers, dams and the American West’s development boom.

From Los Angeles Times

For most of Monday night, a crowd of 45,653 in South Philadelphia sat anxiously in anticipation, waiting for the dam to break in an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel.

From Los Angeles Times

At one point, team members constructed a dam using plastic sheeting to carry rising flood water past the cave entrance.

From BBC

"This isn't a little dam, or just a regular dam - this is a great dam against progressivism," he declared.

From BBC

Some geologists have described the breach as a "tsunami from the mountains", as an estimated 15.4 million tonnes of water – equivalent to 6,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools – were released when the dam burst.

From BBC

Related Words

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