earthwork

noun

earth·​work ˈərth-ˌwərk 

1

: an embankment or other construction made of earth

especially : one used as a field fortification

2

: the operations connected with excavations and embankments of earth

3

: a work of art consisting of a portion of land modified by an artist

Examples of earthwork in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Effigy Mounds preserves 200 or so prehistoric earthworks that were built by pre-Columbian people. —Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 19 Feb. 2025

A little under an hour northeast, off I-69 in Anderson, is Mounds State Park, home to 10 earthworks built by prehistoric Native Americans known as the Adena-Hopewell people. —Holly V. Hays, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Mar. 2024

Koko Bayer has filmed footage of most of her grandfather’s major sculptures and earthworks since 2019 for an in-progress documentary. —Andrew Travers, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Jan. 2025

Archaeologists similarly used a drone to uncover the eroded remains of a large pre-Columbian earthworks buried beneath a field in southeastern Kansas. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 8 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for earthwork

• artwork
• beadwork
• berserk
• breastwork
• brickwork
• brushwork
• casework
• classwork
• clockwork
• coursework
• ductwork
• falsework

Kids Definition

earthwork

noun

earth·​work -ˌwərk 

: something (as a raised bank or wall) constructed out of earth especially for protection