embankment
Americannoun
-
embankments
plural
-
a bank, mound, dike, or the like, raised to hold back water, carry a roadway, etc.
-
the action of embanking.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of embankment
Vocabulary lists containing embankment
"The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket," Vocabulary from the short story
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Example Sentences
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See Examples For:
The catastrophe was caused by the embankment failing, not by an exceptional flood.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
There's also no single shared forecasting model between the two countries; and limited routine sharing on embankment conditions, river-channel changes and sediment.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Pictures at the Lewes derailment have shown how the force of the train leaving the tracks had flattened trees and left a piece of track strewn across the embankment.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
A California airman died Thursday after the heavy machinery he was operating rolled down an embankment at a military base, officials said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
When I came back to the edge of the embankment, I saw he had something in his teeth, shaking it from side to side.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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That means the tracks, signals, embankments and major stations.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
"Due to the impact of persistent heavy rainfall and the prolonged passage of floodwaters at high levels, the safety of reservoirs and embankments in the affected areas faces a severe test," he added.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
"Due to the impact of persistent heavy rainfall and the prolonged passage of floodwaters at high levels, the safety of reservoirs and embankments in the affected areas faces a severe test," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Flood defences in England range from man-made walls, embankments and storm drains to natural areas of high ground.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025
Women in dresses of crimson and aquamarine walked slowly along the embankments.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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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.