weir

noun

ˈwer  ˈwir 

1

: a fence or enclosure set in a waterway for taking fish

2

: a dam in a stream or river to raise the water level or divert its flow

Examples of weir in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dam Removal Europe found that the number of dams dismantled in 2025, along with other water-flow controls like weirs, culverts and sluices, grew by 11% from the year before. —Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 3 June 2026

Removing the weir will lower the entire lagoon’s water level by several feet and restore the ebb and flow of ocean tides to the basin. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2026

In Europe, many removals still involve much smaller structures — low weirs, culverts and aging hydropower barriers — but experts say their cumulative impact is growing. —Radina Gigova, CNN Money, 27 May 2026

Emergency spillway concerns at Kleber Dam, including leakage at the concrete weir and continued erosion risk. —Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English were, going back to Old English wer, going back to Germanic *wera- (whence Old Saxon wer, werr "fish trap, dam," Middle High German wer, Old Norse ver "fishing place"), derivative of an Indo-European verb stem *u̯er- "halt, check, avert," whence, from an iterative derivative *u̯or-ei̯e-, Germanic *warjan- (whence Old English werian "to ward off, protect," Old Saxon, "to hinder, prevent," Old High German weren, werren "to hinder, defend," Old Norse verja "to defend, guard," Gothic warjan "to hinder, forbid"); and, with other ablaut derivatives, Greek érymai, érysthai "to ward off, protect, save," Sanskrit vṛṇoti "(s/he) obstructs, prevents"

Note: See note at aperient.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for weir

• beer
• bier
• cheer
• clear
• dear
• deer
• drear
• ear
• fear
• fier
• gear
• hear

Kids Definition

weir

noun

ˈwa(ə)r  ˈwe(ə)r 

ˈwi(ə)r

1

: a fence set in a stream to catch fish

2

: a dam in a stream to raise the water level or change the direction and course of its flow

Biographical Definition

Weir

biographical name

ˈwir 

Robert Walter 1803–1889 American painter