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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of embankment

First recorded in 1780–90; embank + -ment

Example Sentences

Once the last of the boats is recovered, the focus will switch to repairing the embankment and the canal itself.

From BBC

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

Paul Stowe's boat, the Pacemaker, was perilously close to falling into the hole on the Llangollen Canal in Whitchurch, which opened up on Monday after an "embankment failure".

From BBC

The owner of a narrowboat hire company near the site of a collapsed canal embankment has said it will have a "massively negative effect" on business.

From BBC

Initially thought to be caused by a sinkhole, engineers later said the embankment in Whitchurch had collapsed, causing water to flood out.

From BBC

Related Words

• hill