riprap
Americannoun
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a quantity of broken stone for foundations, revetments of embankments, etc.
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a foundation or wall of stones thrown together irregularly.
verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of riprap
First recorded in 1570–80; gradational reduplication of rap 1
Explanation
Riprap isn't a cool new genre of music; it's a layer of rocks or rubble placed on shorelines or slopes to stop erosion and protect the land. The term riprap refers to layers of large rocks, concrete, or other heavy materials used to stabilize riverbanks, coastlines, or steep hills. By absorbing the force of water or preventing landslides, riprap protects structures, natural habitats, and landscapes from erosion. Riprap is commonly seen along dams, road structures, and waterfronts, creating a barrier that serves as armor for the shoreline.
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:
On road or riprap, the R2 Performance is a hoss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
“But what do we do about the future? We’re not just talking about riprap and wharfs, we’re talking about being ready in many ways.”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2024
But the missing picnic table near the riprap turned my schadenfreude into guilt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2023
Metrolink had tried to protect the rail line from the sea the year before with 18,000 tons of riprap — large, jagged, ugly stones — dropped onto the beach side.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2023
The edge of the lake a riprap of twisted stumps, gray and weathered, the windfall trees of a hurricane years past.
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
Both the original and reconstructed dams were of earth only, with no heart wall, but only riprapped on the slopes.
From The Johnstown Horror!!! or, Valley of Death, being A Complete and Thrilling Account of the Awful Floods and Their Appalling Ruin by James Herbert Walker
The willow cuttings were planted along the borders and around the dams, the ends of which were riprapped with stone, and a spillway cut to accommodate any overflow during freshets.
From Wells Brothers The Young Cattle Kings by Andy Adams
They rode to where the forces assembled by Lance were throwing up embankments and riprapping.
From Whispering Smith by N. C. (Newell Convers) Wyeth
Earth $1,142 $0.20 Labor including riprapping 396 0.07 ——— —— Total $1,538 $0.27 Removing Old Wing Walls: Total.
From Concrete Construction Methods and Costs by Halbert Powers Gillette
The riprapping was merely a skin on each face with more or less loose spauls mixed with the earth.
From The Johnstown Horror!!! or, Valley of Death, being A Complete and Thrilling Account of the Awful Floods and Their Appalling Ruin by James Herbert Walker
The improvements carried out consisted in removing snags and all impediments in the channel or along shore, removing sandbars, thus deepening the channel, building wing dams, and riprapping the shores.
From Fifty Years In The Northwest With An Introduction And Appendix Containing Reminiscences, Incidents And Notes by William Henry Carman Folsom
Above the hot wharves rose the slope of close stone riprapping, fence against Father Messasebe, who now and then, in spirit of sport or of forgetfulness, reached out for his immemorial tribute of the soil.
From The Law of the Land by Emerson Hough
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