retaining wall

noun

1. a wall for holding in place a mass of earth or the like, as at the edge of a terrace or excavation.

retaining wall

noun

1. Also called: revetment. a wall constructed to hold back earth, loose rock, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of retaining wall¹

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

Crews have built more than two dozen retaining walls to prop up the roadway over the last three decades, he said.

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New guardrails, retaining walls, erosion control and drainage systems were put in place to address the destruction.

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They ran, some barefoot in the mud, up a steep hill beyond the property’s retaining wall.

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Sitting on a nearby retaining wall, Cranford said he would have accepted a motel room had someone offered one.

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In Cradley Heath, Dunedin said the process of connecting street lights had been affected by one of them being "directly in front of the retaining wall that has failed" during the landslip.

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