dam
1 of 4noun (1)
ˈdam 
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
dam
2 of 4verb
dammed; damming
transitive verb
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
dam
3 of 4noun (2)
zoology : the female parent of an animal and especially of a domestic animal
the foal's dam
dam
4 of 4abbreviation
dekameter
Synonyms
Noun (1)
- dike
- embankment
- head
- levee
Verb
- block
- choke
- clog
- clot
- congest
- gum (up)
- jam
- obstruct
- occlude
- plug (up)
- stop (up)
- stuff
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb ice floes were damming the river
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1) and Verb
Middle English, probably from Middle Dutch; akin to Old English fordemman to stop up
Noun (2)
Middle English dam, dame lady, dam — more at dame
First Known Use
Noun (1)
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun (2)
13th century, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing dam
Kids Definition
dam 1 of 3
noun
ˈdam
: the female parent of a domestic animal (as a dog or horse)
dam
2 of 3noun
: a barrier (as across a stream) to hold back a flow of water
dam
3 of 3verb
dammed; damming
: to hold back or block with or as if with a dam
Leaves dammed the drains.
Medical Definition
dam 1 of 3
noun
ˈdam
: a female parent —used especially of a domestic animal
dam
2 of 3noun
: rubber dam see dental dam
dam
3 of 3abbreviation
dekameter
Biographical Definition
Dam
biographical name
ˈdam
ˈdäm
(Carl Peter) Henrik 1895–1976 Danish biochemist
dams 1 of 2
noun
as in levees
a bank of earth constructed to control water the river backed up behind the dam until it formed a new lake Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- levees
- embankments
- dikes
- canals
- weirs
- ramparts
- barriers
- ditches
- locks
- breakwaters
- seawalls
- gutters
- barricades
- heads
- jetties
- sluices
- earthworks
- troughs
- channels
- blocks
- bulwarks
- barrages
- breastworks
- floodgates
- milldams
- stanks
dams
2 of 2verb
1
as in blocks
to prevent passage through by filling with something ice floes were damming the river Synonyms & Similar Words
- blocks
- floods
- obstructs
- jams
- congests
- clogs
- clots
- stuffs
- occludes
- fills
- corks
- chokes
- spiles
- silts
- stoppers
- packs
- gums (up)
- bungs
- plugs (up)
- furs
- swamps
- stops (up)
- stopples
- gridlocks
- inundates
- overwhelms
- gluts
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unblocks
- frees
- opens (up)
- unplugs
- clears
- excavates
- scoops (out)
- unclogs
- hollows (out)
- empties
- unstops
- lightens
2
as in plugs
to close up so that no empty spaces remain dam up the pipes Synonyms & Similar Words
- plugs
- packs
- fills
- seals
- blocks
- stuffs
- bungs
- clogs
- congests
- caulks
- stops
- jams
- clots
- chinks
- occludes
- calks
- obstructs
- chokes
- repacks
- restuffs
- closes (off)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- excavates
- scoops (out)
- shovels
- hollows (out)
- (as) dull as dishwater
- (as) dull as ditchwater
- (as) easy as ABC
- (as) easy as falling off a log
- (as) easy as pie
- (as) good as new
- (as) guilty as sin
- (as) guilty/miserable/ugly as sin
- (as) happy as a clam
- (as) hard/tough as nails
- (as) keen as mustard
- (as) large as life
- (as) near as someone can tell/figure
- (as) plain as day
- (as) plain as the nose on your face
- (as) pleased as punch
- (as) pretty as a picture
- (as) pure as the driven snow
- (as) quick as a wink
- (as) right as rain
- (as) sick as a dog
- (as) smooth as silk
- (as) sober as a judge
- (as) solid as a rock
- (as) sound as a bell