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embankment

American  
[em-bangk-muhnt] / ɛmˈbæŋk mənt /

noun

  1. a bank, mound, dike, or the like, raised to hold back water, carry a roadway, etc.

  2. the action of embanking.

embankment British  
/ ɪmˈbæŋkmənt /

noun

  1. a man-made ridge of earth or stone that carries a road or railway or confines a waterway See also levee 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

Etymology

Origin of embankment

First recorded in 1780–90; embank + -ment

Vocabulary lists containing embankment

"The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket," Vocabulary from the short story

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Part 1 Vocabulary (Unit 4)

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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.

Papoli, 58, of Newport Beach, was found dead Nov. 18 about 75 feet down a steep embankment near Highway 138 and Crestline Road, in the mountain town of Crestline, officials reported.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026

Some of the carriages had tumbled down an embankment of four metres, Sanz said at his press conference.

From Barron's • Jan. 18, 2026

"We will have to cut back the shoulders of this damaged area in steps and bring in new material of the right quality to rebuild the embankment up in levels," she said.

From BBC • Jan. 4, 2026

And snow can obscure the trail entirely, he said — “you think you’re stepping on solid ground and, literally, your whole body drops all the way down to your chest” or, worse, down an embankment.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2025

L.D. fell off the car and started tumbling down an embankment.

From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson

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.