gravity dam

American  

noun

1. a dam resisting the pressure of impounded water through its own weight.

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gravity dam British  

noun

1. a dam whose weight alone is great enough to prevent it from tipping over

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Etymology

Origin of gravity dam

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

For a dam ten feet high, the necessary thickness of the curved dam would probably not be more than twelve inches, while the ordinary gravity dam would be three or four feet thick.

From Project Gutenberg