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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.

See Examples For:

One section of the embankment near the al-Mawasi camp is more than 1.5km beyond where the Yellow Line was originally mapped.

From BBC Jul. 30, 2026

A 79-year-old woman had driven a vehicle over a curb and hit a fence before plunging over a 20- to 25-foot embankment, according to KTLA.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 13, 2026

Around 100 firefighters have been called to a fire affecting a house, gardens, sheds and a railway embankment in Walthamstow, east London.

From BBC Jul. 12, 2026

Hundreds began running down the grassy embankment on the west side of the Washington monument shouting "Charge!" and temporarily overwhelming security forces.

From Barron's Jul. 5, 2026

I started up the embankment, slipping in the mud.

From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway

Several rivers breached their embankments, Baruah says, sending powerful currents through towns and villages.

From BBC Aug. 11, 2026

"Due to the impact of persistent heavy rainfall and the prolonged passage of floodwaters at high levels, the safety of reservoirs and embankments in the affected areas faces a severe test," he added.

From Barron's Jul. 8, 2026

It's a charge that is resonating across the Philippines, where people are asking why the government cannot tame the floods with the billions of pesos it pours into infrastructure like roads, bridges and embankments.

From BBC Sep. 17, 2025

SAR allows researchers to inspect and characterize pavements, retaining walls, and embankments from space and can help determine if there are flaws that should be further inspected for repair, saving valuable time.

From Science Daily Jun. 6, 2024

He was out there pushing his garden up into rectangular, flood-proof embankments, exactly the length and width of burial mounds.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

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