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

The initial evidence indicated the Ukrainians breached the border defenses—berms, trenches and concrete tank obstacles—only to run into stiffer Russian resistance a short distance from the breach. —David Axe, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024

This ride has some flow trail and a respectable 3-mile loop of tight wooded singletrack made up of rough bedrock traverses, dirt berms, and some rocky technical features. —Stephanie Pearson, WIRED, 25 July 2024

The man is alleged to have fired ammunition from a shotgun, igniting the fire behind a berm near a rifle club. —Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2024

Construction of such a berm, the researchers calculated, would require about three and a half billion cubic feet of gravel and sand, which, conveniently enough, could be excavated from Greenland’s continental shelf. —Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024

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

Kids Definition

berm

noun

ˈbərm 

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

also : a mound or wall of earth