dike

1 of 3

noun (1)

1
civil engineering : an artificial watercourse : ditch
2
civil engineering
a
: a bank (see bank entry 1 sense 1) usually of earth constructed to control or confine water : levee
b
: a barrier preventing passage especially of something undesirable
3
a
civil engineering : a raised causeway
b
geology : a tabular body of igneous rock that has been injected while molten into a fissure

dike

2 of 3

verb

diked; diking

transitive verb

1
civil engineering : to surround or protect with a dike (see dike entry 1)
2
civil engineering : to drain by a dike
diker noun civil engineering

dike

3 of 3

noun (2)

less common spelling of dyke

usually offensive

Examples of dike in a Sentence

Noun (1) an elaborate system of dikes built to protect the lowlands from the relentless onslaught of the sea water flowed along the dike to the small pond
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Most hunters walk the dikes bordering these waters and hope that the swans will fly low enough for pass-shooting. Ashley Thess, Outdoor Life, 17 Oct. 2024 In 2024 a team of scientists published a paper in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets showing that deposits of ilmenite, a mineral common in lunar magma, could enhance the local abundance of elements such as iron and nickel in dikes, amplifying the amount of magnetism there. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 6 Sep. 2024
Verb
The decision was largely informed by alarmingly low salmon runs as a result of heavily dammed, diked and channeled streams struggling to maintain healthy flows in the face of droughts and warming summers. oregonlive, 17 June 2023 In addition to the hundreds of thousands of acres of marshland that were drained or diked off, the researchers discovered former wetlands that now are forested that were unknown to anybody. Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, 17 Aug. 2019 See all Example Sentences for dike 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dike.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb

Middle English, probably from Old Norse dīk ditch and Middle Low German dīk dam; akin to Old English dīc ditch — more at ditch

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dike was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near dike

Cite this Entry

“Dike.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dike. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

dike

1 of 2 noun
1
: a channel dug in the earth to carry water : ditch
2
: a bank of earth constructed to control water : levee
3
: a long body of igneous rock that has been forced while molten into a narrow opening or crack

dike

2 of 2 verb
diked; diking
1
: to surround or protect with a dike
2
: to drain by a dike
diker noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dike

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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