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Showing results for embankment. Search instead for railroad+embankment.
Synonyms

embankment

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

noun

embankments plural
  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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

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.

A 2024 BMW M3 was eastbound on the two-lane highway that slopes downhill when the driver lost control, veering off-road and down a steep embankment, the CHP said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 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

It then collided with an oncoming train travelling from south Madrid to Huelva, which was forced into an embankment running alongside the track, Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente said on Sunday.

From BBC • Jan. 19, 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

“Jump in the snow!” she screamed, and lunged into an embankment of snow, putting the fire out.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

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