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

Example Sentences

Documents obtained by the Creek Team detail chemicals used in 2024 to “eradicate nuisance weeds” in flood control channels, or “washes,” as many Southern Californians know them.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works warned Angelenos to stay well away from waterways such as flood control channels, rivers, and streams -- even after the rain stopped.

From Barron's • Dec. 25, 2025

The loss of tidal waters may have forced Sumerian communities to respond with large-scale irrigation and flood control systems -- innovations that defined Sumer's golden age.

From Science Daily • Oct. 27, 2025

"I'm angry and dismayed because money allocated for flood control projects in our province went to waste, to people who used it for their personal gain," he says.

From BBC • Sep. 17, 2025

As far back as 3500 B.C., the Sumerians, the original inhabitants of this area, mastered irrigation and flood control to create a fertile oasis amid the sandy plains of what is now Iraq.

From "The Annotated Mona Lisa" by Carol Strickland and John Boswell