dam
n. countable C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˈdæm// UK //dˈæm// dam
n. a strong wall built across a river to stop the water from flowing. It helps people store water or make electricity.
n. a barrier constructed across a waterway to obstruct, direct, or retard the flow of water. Often used to create a reservoir for irrigation or hydroelectric power generation.
The heavy rain put a lot of pressure on the dam.
Engineers monitored the concrete dam closely during the spring thaw to prevent any structural failure from the rising river.
The construction of the massive hydroelectric dam transformed the local economy but also displaced several indigenous communities whose ancestral lands were flooded to create the new reservoir.