1
a
: a barrier preventing the flow of water or of loose solid materials (such as soil or snow)
a beaver dam
an ice dam
especially, civil engineering
: a barrier built across a watercourse for impounding (see impound sense 2) water
b
: a barrier to check the flow of liquid, gas, or air
2
: a body of water confined by a barrier
dammed; damming
1
: to provide or restrain with a barrier that prevents the flow of water : to provide or restrain with a dam (see dam entry 1 sense 1a)
dam a river
2
: to stop up : block
damming up their emotions
zoology
: the female parent of an animal and especially of a domestic animal
the foal's dam
dekameter
Examples of dam in a Sentence
Noun (1)
the river backed up behind the dam until it formed a new lake
Verb
ice floes were damming the river
Recent Examples on the Web
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Its leaders agreed to build the dam six feet higher so that the reservoir had enough space to store 5,000 acre-feet of water to be used for environmental health purposes on South Boulder Creek, which flows out of the bottom of the dam.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2025
William McQuilkin, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2025
Catch up quick: Glen Canyon is home to particularly sensitive ecosystems and archeological sites that have been threatened since the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation dammed the Colorado River there in the 1960s.
—Erin Alberty, Axios, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dam
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Noun
Studies of dams in Brazil show that deforestation caused by the dams reduce their potential for power generation by up to 10%, which while sounding modest, means for one plant, lost revenue of $21 million.
—Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Its leaders agreed to build the dam six feet higher so that the reservoir had enough space to store 5,000 acre-feet of water to be used for environmental health purposes on South Boulder Creek, which flows out of the bottom of the dam.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2025
Verb
This combined with nitrogen pollution and the upriver damming of the Ocklawaha River has adversely affected whole ecosystems.
—William McQuilkin, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2025
Catch up quick: Glen Canyon is home to particularly sensitive ecosystems and archeological sites that have been threatened since the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation dammed the Colorado River there in the 1960s.
—Erin Alberty, Axios, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dam
Cite this Entry
“Dam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dam. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dam
1 of 3 noun
: the female parent especially of a domestic animal
dam
2 of 3 noun1
: a barrier preventing the flow of water
2
: a body of water held back by a dam
dam
3 of 3 verb
dammed; damming
1
: to provide or restrain with a dam
dam a stream
2
: to stop up : block
dammed-up feelings
Etymology
Noun
Middle English dam, dame "lady, female parent"
Noun
Middle English dam "barrier to hold back water"
Medical Definition
dam
1 of 3 noun
: a female parent
—used especially of a domestic animal
dam
2 of 3 noun
: rubber dam see dental dam
dam
3 of 3 abbreviation
dekameter
Biographical Definition
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