Dam

adj, intj, noun, verb, slang

adj, intj, noun, verb, slang ·1 syllable ·Common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A structure placed across a flowing body of water to stop the flow or part of the flow, generally for purposes such as retaining or diverting some of the water or retarding the release of accumulated water to avoid abrupt flooding.
  • Grammar: dam is listed as adj, intj, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: arch dam, arrest, artificial lake, backstop.
  • Useful contrasts: aqueducts, chanal, culverts.
  • Usage evidence: The villagers were displaced by the construction of a dam.

How to use "dam"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "dam" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "dam" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "dam" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "dam" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "dam" is acting as adj, intj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "arch dam" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "dam", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A structure placed across a flowing body of water to stop the flow or part of the flow, generally for purposes such as retaining or diverting some of the water or retarding the release of accumulated water to avoid abrupt flooding.

    "A dam is often an essential source of water to farmers of hilly country."

  2. 2
    Female parent, mother, generally regarding breeding of animals.

    "More dear […] than younglings to their dam."

  3. 3
    An obsolete Indian copper coin, equal to a fortieth of a rupee. India, historical

    "[…] A small Indian coin; whence comes the saying "I don't care a dam for you," that is I don't value you a farthing, and not as generally given, "I don't care a damn" or a "curse for you." [Possibly a folk etymology.]"

  4. 4
    Initialism of digital asset management. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable
  5. 5
    female parent of an animal especially domestic livestock wordnet
Show 8 more definitions
  1. 6
    The water reservoir resulting from placing such a structure.

    "Boats may only be used at places set aside for boating on the dam."

  2. 7
    A kind of crowned piece in the game of draughts.
  3. 8
    A former coin of Nepal, 128 of which were worth one mohar. historical
  4. 9
    a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea wordnet
  5. 10
    A device to prevent a tooth from getting wet during dental work, consisting of a rubber sheet held with a band.
  6. 11
    a metric unit of length equal to ten meters wordnet
  7. 12
    A reservoir. Australia, South-Africa
  8. 13
    A firebrick wall, or a stone, which forms the front of the hearth of a blast furnace.
Verb
  1. 1
    To block the flow of water. transitive

    "Home I vvould go, / But that my Dores are hatefull to my eyes. / Fill'd and damm'd up vvith gaping Creditors, / VVatchfull as Fovvlers vvhen their Game vvill ſpring; […]"

  2. 2
    obstruct with, or as if with, a dam wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    Damn. historical, not-comparable, pronunciation-spelling, slang

    "Do not get too caught up in individual campism. The Most-High sent your spirits back on earth to fix yourselves, come together and wake up our people, so do your dam job and stop letting your fleshly desires control you."

Intj
  1. 1
    Damn. historical, pronunciation-spelling, slang

Synonyms

All synonyms
arch damarrestartificial lakebackstopbamboo curtainbank

Example

"The villagers were displaced by the construction of a dam."

Common questions

What does "dam" mean?

A structure placed across a flowing body of water to stop the flow or part of the flow, generally for purposes such as retaining or diverting some of the water or retarding the release of accumulated water to avoid abrupt flooding.

What is a synonym for "dam"?

Common synonyms include: arch dam, arrest, artificial lake, backstop, bamboo curtain, bank.

How do you use "dam" in a sentence?

The villagers were displaced by the construction of a dam.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English dam, from Old English *damm, from Proto-West Germanic *damm, from Proto-Germanic *dammaz.

Etymology 2

Variant of dame. Doublet of domina and donna.

Etymology 3

Said to be possibly coined from the English phrase "I don't give a dam(n)," referring to its small worth.

Etymology 4

Pronunciation spelling of damn.

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