berm

noun

ˈbərm 

1

: a narrow shelf, path, or ledge typically at the top or bottom of a slope

also : a mound or wall of earth or sand

a landscaped berm

2

: the shoulder of a road

… deer … feeding on the berm of the highway …

—Norman Erickson

Examples of berm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If drainage is a problem, amend soil with compost or plant on mounds or berms. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 2026

The new berm will go where the Broncos’ current building is, to the East of Denver’s practice fields. —Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026

Gone are most of the elements of the earlier plans, among them the berms that would have run along Biscayne Boulevard creating a walled park, a closed and forbidding space in a fearful city. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026

No one ever visits Owens Lake; though you’re surrounded by concrete berms and metal piping, the setting is remote and still. —Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French berme, from Dutch berm strip of ground along a dike; akin to Middle English brimme brim

First Known Use

1693, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for berm

• ferm
• firm
• germ
• herm
• sperm
• squirm
• term
• therm
• worm
• wurm
• affirm
• bookworm

Kids Definition

berm

noun

ˈbərm 

: a shelf or path at the top or bottom of a slope

also : a mound or wall of earth