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

In 1991, his middle child with Wolcott, Richard Carson tragically died in a car accident after his vehicle tumbled down an embankment during a nature photography session.

From Salon

The Clean Water March was organised by 140 organisations and started at the Albert Embankment and ended with a rally in Parliament Square.

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

Related Words

• hill