dike

¹ American  

[dahyk] / daɪk /

Or dyke

noun

1. an embankment for controlling or holding back the waters of the sea or a river.

   They built a temporary dike of sandbags to keep the river from flooding the town.

2. a ditch.

3. a bank of earth formed of material being excavated.

4. a causeway.

5. British Dialect. a low wall or fence, especially of earth or stone, for dividing or enclosing land.

6. an obstacle; barrier.

7. Geology.

   1. a long, narrow, cross-cutting mass of igneous rock intruded into a fissure in older rock.

   2. a similar mass of rock composed of other kinds of material, as sandstone.

8. Australian Slang. a urinal.

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verb (used with object)

diked, diking

1. to furnish or drain with a dike.

2. to enclose, restrain, or protect by a dike.

   to dike a tract of land.

dike ² American  

[dahyk] / daɪk /

noun

Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.

1. dyke.

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dike British  

/ daɪk /

noun

1. a variant spelling of dyke 1

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dike Scientific  

/ dīk /

1. A body of igneous rock that cuts across the structure of adjoining rock, usually as a result of the intrusion of magma. Dikes are often of a different composition from the rock they cut across. They are usually on the order of centimeters to meters across and up to tens of kilometers long.

2. See illustration at batholith

3. An embankment of earth and rock built to prevent floods or to hold irrigation water in for agricultural purposes.

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Usage

What else does dike mean? Dike is an extremely offensive slur for a lesbian. It has been reappropriated by some in the LGBTQ community as a label of pride and solidarity. What are some other forms of dike?dyke

Other Word Forms

• diker noun
• dikey adjective
• undiked adjective

Etymology

Origin of dike

before 900; Middle English dik ( e ), Old English dīc < Old Norse dīki; akin to ditch

Explanation

A dike is a structure made of earth or stone that's used to hold back water. If you visit the Netherlands, you can see their elaborate system of dikes, without which much of the country would be underwater. The verb dike means to enclose with a structure, like a wall or embankment, intended to hold back water. The Netherlands diked an inland sea, used pumping and other water control measures, and was able to reclaim flooded areas. The Dutch have used dikes to prevent flooding since the 12th century, and the word itself has the same roots as the Dutch word dijk.

Example Sentences

To suggest the Dutch are clueless about combat is like suggesting they don’t know how to build a dike.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 21, 2026

“And when you were up on the rock, then every crystal, crack, and ripple was endowed with indissoluble, life-saving importance, each dike and chickenhead inalienably itself.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2026

The organization will run out of money for dike maintenance in Bentiu by February, after months of some of the most severe flooding in years.

From Salon • Dec. 16, 2025

And building the dike in Kazakhstan cut off the south part of the sea in Uzbekistan from its crucial water source.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 7, 2024

Fifty meters up the field one of the old farmers stood watching from along the dike.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

Related Words

• barrier
• ditch
• levee