: a passage for surplus water to run over or around an obstruction (such as a dam)
Examples of spillway in a Sentence
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While most dams rely on spillways shaped like chutes or shafts to drain the overage, the dam at Lake Berryessa uses a funnel-like spillway due to lack of space, per local news outlet The Press Democrat.
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Toria Sheffield, People.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Usually, water flows from a spillway inside the wall into a basin below.
—Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 18 Apr. 2025
The new spillway would have gates lower than the dam’s existing spillway, allowing water to be released while the reservoir is at lower levels, such as before a large storm passes through.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacramento Bee, 15 Mar. 2025
Improving the spillway, modifying the shape and elevation of the dam embankment, installing new flood early warning systems and relocating a wastewater line are on the project's to-do list.
—Asher Price, Axios, 20 Mar. 2025
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Toria Sheffield, People.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Usually, water flows from a spillway inside the wall into a basin below.
—Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 18 Apr. 2025
The new spillway would have gates lower than the dam’s existing spillway, allowing water to be released while the reservoir is at lower levels, such as before a large storm passes through.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacramento Bee, 15 Mar. 2025
Improving the spillway, modifying the shape and elevation of the dam embankment, installing new flood early warning systems and relocating a wastewater line are on the project's to-do list.
—Asher Price, Axios, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spillway
Cite this Entry
“Spillway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spillway. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spillway
noun
spill·way
ˈspil-ˌwā 
: a passage for extra water to run over or around a dam
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