embankment

[ em-bangk-muhnt ]

noun

1. a bank, mound, dike, or the like, raised to hold back water, carry a roadway, etc.
2. the action of embanking.

embankment

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of embankment¹

First recorded in 1780–90; embank + -ment

Example Sentences

Structural maintenance includes resurfacing and reconstruction of roads and footways, as well as investment in both drainage infrastructure and in the structural stability of embankments.

From BBC

The driver was an older person who lost control of their vehicle on a nearby embankment and had minor injuries, said watch commander Lt.

From Los Angeles Times

The inquest heard Hugo lost control after taking the bend too fast, entered on to a grass verge, went down a steep embankment and then into a water-filled drainage ditch.

From BBC

A "complex repair operation" has begun to fix a motorway bridge after a lorry left the carriageway and fell on to an embankment below, authorities have said.

From BBC

A lorry has fallen 60 metres off a bridge on the M6 and landed overturned on the embankment below.

From BBC

Related Words

• hill