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Synonyms

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

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.

Shoemaker swerved right off the 210 and rolled his Ford Bronco down the embankment, about three stories high, and onto the 57 freeway.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2026

Tour operator Hakuba Lion Adventure said the vehicle flipped after going up an embankment along a forest road and that police were investigating.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

On the morning of 6 April 2009, a lorry driver pulled off the M4 and parked in an underpass near Porthcawl, south Wales, and spotted a suitcase in an embankment.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

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

Cade and I followed the muddy wheel ruts through the waist-high grass down the slope of the river’s embankment.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith

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