dike

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈdīk 

1

civil engineering : an artificial watercourse : ditch

2

civil engineering

a

: a bank (see bank entry 1 sense 1) usually of earth constructed to control or confine water : levee

b

: a barrier preventing passage especially of something undesirable

3

a

civil engineering : a raised causeway

b

geology : a tabular body of igneous rock that has been injected while molten into a fissure

dike

2 of 3

verb

diked; diking

transitive verb

1

civil engineering : to surround or protect with a dike (see dike entry 1)

2

civil engineering : to drain by a dike

diker noun civil engineering

dike

3 of 3

noun (2)

less common spelling of dyke

usually offensive

: lesbian

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• dam
• embankment
• head
• levee

Examples of dike in a Sentence

Noun (1)

an elaborate system of dikes built to protect the lowlands from the relentless onslaught of the sea

water flowed along the dike to the small pond

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The ground nearby was inflated, indicating the presence of magma below, and now a swarm of earthquakes threatened to funnel the underground dike toward the village. —Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2024

Most hunters walk the dikes bordering these waters and hope that the swans will fly low enough for pass-shooting. —Ashley Thess, Outdoor Life, 17 Oct. 2024

Verb

The decision was largely informed by alarmingly low salmon runs as a result of heavily dammed, diked and channeled streams struggling to maintain healthy flows in the face of droughts and warming summers. —oregonlive, 17 June 2023

In addition to the hundreds of thousands of acres of marshland that were drained or diked off, the researchers discovered former wetlands that now are forested that were unknown to anybody. —Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, 17 Aug. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb

Middle English, probably from Old Norse dīk ditch and Middle Low German dīk dam; akin to Old English dīc ditch — more at ditch

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

dike

1 of 2 noun

ˈdīk 

1

: a channel dug in the earth to carry water : ditch

2

: a bank of earth constructed to control water : levee

3

: a long body of igneous rock that has been forced while molten into a narrow opening or crack

dike

2 of 2 verb

diked; diking

1

: to surround or protect with a dike

2

: to drain by a dike

diker noun