dike

or dyke

[ dahyk ]

/ daɪk /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: dike / diked / diking on Thesaurus.com

noun

an embankment for controlling or holding back the waters of the sea or a river: They built a temporary dike of sandbags to keep the river from flooding the town.

a ditch.

a bank of earth formed of material being excavated.

a causeway.

British Dialect. a low wall or fence, especially of earth or stone, for dividing or enclosing land.

an obstacle; barrier.

Geology.

a long, narrow, cross-cutting mass of igneous rock intruded into a fissure in older rock.
a similar mass of rock composed of other kinds of material, as sandstone.

Australian Slang. a urinal.

verb (used with object), diked, dik·ing.

to furnish or drain with a dike.

to enclose, restrain, or protect by a dike: to dike a tract of land.

QUIZ

IS THIS EIGHTH GRADE VOCAB QUIZ FEASIBLE FOR YOU?

Prove that nothing is amiss with your vocabulary skills by taking this quiz on popular eighth grade vocabulary.

Question 1 of 10

What does the word “confiscate” mean?

to praise or celebrate

to gather together

to seize by or as if by authority; appropriate summarily

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of dike

before 900; Middle English dik(e), Old English dīc<Old Norse dīki; akin to ditch

OTHER WORDS FROM dike

diker, nounun·diked, adjective

Other definitions for dike (2 of 2)

dike²

[ dahyk ]

/ daɪk /

noun Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.

dyke².

OTHER WORDS FROM dike

dikey, adjective, dik·i·er, dik·i·est.

How to use dike in a sentence

Falls are also produced in very many instances by dikes which cross the stream.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
When the tide is high the difference is very great, and were it not for the dikes the people would be inundated.
Rollo in Holland|Jacob Abbott
In ancient times they were worse than they are now; because now the dikes are stronger, and are better guarded.
Rollo in Holland|Jacob Abbott
It would often overflow the country entirely, were it not that the banks are guarded by dikes, like the dikes of the sea.
Rollo in Holland|Jacob Abbott

The slopes of the dikes are always very gradual, and very nice gardens can be made on them.
Rollo in Holland|Jacob Abbott

British Dictionary definitions for dike

dike

/ (daɪk) /

noun, verb

a variant spelling of dyke 1

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

Scientific definitions for dike

dike

[ dīk ]

A body of igneous rock that cuts across the structure of adjoining rock, usually as a result of the intrusion of magma. Dikes are often of a different composition from the rock they cut across. They are usually on the order of centimeters to meters across and up to tens of kilometers long. See illustration at batholith.

An embankment of earth and rock built to prevent floods or to hold irrigation water in for agricultural purposes.

dike

or dyke

Origin of dike

OTHER WORDS FROM dike

Other definitions for dike (2 of 2)

OTHER WORDS FROM dike

Words related to dike

How to use dike in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dike

Scientific definitions for dike