as in embankment
a raised bank or wall made of soil
—usually plural
prehistoric earthworks
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Recent Examples of earthwork
Residents allege that approving earthwork without a site plan prevents meaningful public review and undermines environmental and infrastructure protections, court documents state.
—
Deborah Laverty, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
According to those standards and Google Earth elevation data, that could require earthwork to raise the ground of the Unicoi site by at least 8 feet and as much as 18 feet before construction.
—Brett Kelman, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
The backstory People have been drawn to these magical 40 acres for centuries– the name comes from a Narragansett earthwork that once stood here, which to European settlers resembled a castle.
—Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Feb. 2026
As the seat of the Kingdom of Benin, the city was renowned for monumental earthworks and extraordinary bronze artistry.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for earthwork
Deborah Laverty, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
According to those standards and Google Earth elevation data, that could require earthwork to raise the ground of the Unicoi site by at least 8 feet and as much as 18 feet before construction.
—Brett Kelman, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
The backstory People have been drawn to these magical 40 acres for centuries– the name comes from a Narragansett earthwork that once stood here, which to European settlers resembled a castle.
—Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Feb. 2026
As the seat of the Kingdom of Benin, the city was renowned for monumental earthworks and extraordinary bronze artistry.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for earthwork
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earthwork
Noun
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Shoemaker swerved right off the 210 and rolled his Ford Bronco down the embankment, about three stories high, and onto the 57 freeway.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
In the wake of the 2007 settlement, tents began to appear on the sidewalks, freeway embankments, overpasses, underpasses, civic plazas and public spaces everywhere in Los Angeles.—
Susan Shelley,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Military engineers resorted to building lower, thicker ramparts, backed by earth, and sought to eliminate blind spots by building angular bastions — the aforementioned extrusions.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
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In a calmer corner of the ramparts, over-looking the bay, Loyda Rosa’s pioneering plant-forward restaurant, Verde Mesa, has helped lay the foundations for the island’s flourishing farm-to-table scene since launching in 2009.—
Ben Olsen,
Condé Nast Traveler,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The infantrymen around him peeped painfully over the heap of dirt that substituted for a breastwork.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Dollison served on the Internal Improvements Committee and introduced a bill to create a levee district in Clay and Greene counties.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 Apr. 2026
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Constructing protective structures such as levees and dikes can help, as can preserving natural landscapes, such as wetlands and estuaries that can act as a natural sponge to absorb floodwaters, in and near the cities, Shao and her colleagues wrote.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Stormwater captured in dams, reservoirs and spreading grounds figured out to be an amazing 185% of average for this time of year, the county reported.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
24 Apr. 2026
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In 2013, according to the Department of Justice, a hacker affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps infiltrated the control system of a dam in New York State.—
Sue Halpern,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Constructing protective structures such as levees and dikes can help, as can preserving natural landscapes, such as wetlands and estuaries that can act as a natural sponge to absorb floodwaters, in and near the cities, Shao and her colleagues wrote.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
22 Apr. 2026
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The dikes would consist of walls surrounding the city, separating it from the lagoon, Lionello said.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Investigators say initial reports said that a bass boat had hit a breakwater, which is a long wall usually built by the shore to reduce erosion.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
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The hot spring pools blend into the natural rocky breakwater barriers and offer the opportunity for a warm soak after swimming in the sea.—
Lauren Breedlove,
Outside,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Is documentary filmmaking a vital bulwark against mounting assaults on truth and basic freedoms?—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
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The labor movement in the United States remains a bulwark of democracy, and workers have often been a driving force for social and economic equality in their communities.—
Robert Forrant,
The Conversation,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Earthwork.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earthwork. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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