embankment

[em-bangk-muhnt]

noun

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

2. the action of embanking.

embankment

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of embankment¹

First recorded in 1780–90; embank + -ment

Example Sentences

At least 40 people including nationals of Malawi and Zimbabwe were killed when a passenger bus rolled down an embankment in South Africa, a provincial transport minister said Monday.

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According to an eyewitness, Prefontaine was driving downhill on a two-lane road when he swerved to avoid another car, slammed against an embankment and flipped his vehicle.

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It appeared that the helicopter augered into the dirt embankment on the side of the highway, tearing up weeds with its tail rotor before skidding across five freeway lanes.

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"Although the energy decreases once it reaches the plains, it still remains powerful and fast - far beyond what a typical river embankment can handle."

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It's a charge that is resonating across the Philippines, where people are asking why the government cannot tame the floods with the billions of pesos it pours into infrastructure like roads, bridges and embankments.

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Related Words

• hill