flood control

American  

noun

Civil Engineering.

1. the act or technique of controlling river flow with dams, dikes, artificial channels, etc., so as to minimize the occurrence of floods.

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flood control British  

noun

1. the technique or practice of preventing or controlling floods with dams, artificial channels, etc

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Etymology

Origin of flood control

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flood control

The flood damage, coupled with a Depression-era unemployed work force, put the river into the hands of federal flood control programs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Then on Wednesday morning, authorities recovered the body of a man near the flood control channel in the 2000 block of East Sepulveda Boulevard.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

The province's emergency flood control response has been raised to its highest level.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

Intense rain and severe flooding from Typhoon Maysak killed at least four people in Guangxi, where authorities raised the flood control emergency response to its highest level in the regional capital, Nanning.

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

The street looked like a river, and she could see cars and boats stacked up against a flood control gate.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

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