as in blocked
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1
as in obstructed
to prevent passage through by filling with something
ice floes were damming the river
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in filled
to close up so that no empty spaces remain
dam up the pipes
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of dammed
Zeb Hogan, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
Legend has it that before the park was established, a young girl from a local settlement got lost in the woods in the area that later, when dammed, became Lake Fontana.
—Graham Averill, Outside, 28 Oct. 2025
But over the years, the river had been dammed upstream, drying it up and killing the fish.
—David Gelles, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
Morris grew up along the White River (a portion of which was dammed to create today’s Table Rock Lake) in the Ozarks, where fishing wasn’t just a pastime but a way of life.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
According to the Lake Garda Improvement Association, in the 1920s Harry Battistoni bought small farms along the Burlington/Farmington border, dammed up a small brook, and created Lake Garda.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2026
Tenuously held back by moraines – the jumble of rock and sediment deposited by glaciers at their edges – or dammed by glacier ice, these lakes are anything but stable.
—Dan McGrath, The Conversation, 9 Mar. 2026
Plants can regenerate, since the beavers have dammed up the water to keep some for their little ecosystem.
—Katie Grant, Parents, 4 Mar. 2026
Lake Como’s roots date back to 1889, when Denver investors dammed a creek about 5 miles west of downtown and built a luxury resort, casino and amusement rides modeled after Como, Italy.
—Kamal Morgan
february 7, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2026
It wasn't dammed up then, and the water came gushing out icy cold!
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 4 Jan. 2026
Its 20th-century crash, 21st-century rebound and feared future rendezvous with newly invading predators is perhaps the clearest allegory nature has provided for the never-ending struggle to restore equilibrium to a great river that America dammed and then pushed to its limits.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
Adjective
Across the Northern Hemisphere, migratory fish such as salmon, sturgeon and shad have suffered major losses because rivers have been dammed and polluted, while many populations were heavily overfished.
—Zeb Hogan, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
Legend has it that before the park was established, a young girl from a local settlement got lost in the woods in the area that later, when dammed, became Lake Fontana.
—Graham Averill, Outside, 28 Oct. 2025
But over the years, the river had been dammed upstream, drying it up and killing the fish.
—David Gelles, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
The water, too, was wild—the Allegheny and its tributaries had yet to be dammed, and Flag Swamp was noted as one of the last hideouts for beavers in the state.
—Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
Morris grew up along the White River (a portion of which was dammed to create today’s Table Rock Lake) in the Ozarks, where fishing wasn’t just a pastime but a way of life.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
According to the Lake Garda Improvement Association, in the 1920s Harry Battistoni bought small farms along the Burlington/Farmington border, dammed up a small brook, and created Lake Garda.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2026
Tenuously held back by moraines – the jumble of rock and sediment deposited by glaciers at their edges – or dammed by glacier ice, these lakes are anything but stable.
—Dan McGrath, The Conversation, 9 Mar. 2026
Plants can regenerate, since the beavers have dammed up the water to keep some for their little ecosystem.
—Katie Grant, Parents, 4 Mar. 2026
Lake Como’s roots date back to 1889, when Denver investors dammed a creek about 5 miles west of downtown and built a luxury resort, casino and amusement rides modeled after Como, Italy.
—Kamal Morgan
february 7, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2026
It wasn't dammed up then, and the water came gushing out icy cold!
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 4 Jan. 2026
Its 20th-century crash, 21st-century rebound and feared future rendezvous with newly invading predators is perhaps the clearest allegory nature has provided for the never-ending struggle to restore equilibrium to a great river that America dammed and then pushed to its limits.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dammed
Adjective
-
Baghaei said the future of the choked Strait of Hormuz will depend on the countries of Oman and Iran, as both nations have a plan to manage passage through the waterway.—
Alayna Treene,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
San Franciscans who think Muni buses are always packed, or prone to crawl along choked streets, may find their views validated in a new slide presentation released by the Municipal Transportation Agency.—
Rachel Swan,
San Francisco Chronicle,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Some lenses filtered only a small fraction of blue light, while others blocked substantially more, sometimes at the cost of altering color perception.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2026
-
World blocked a running knee and hit Blue with a suplex.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
Verb
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The plane, filled with 11 skydivers and a pilot, crashed shortly after taking off from Butler Memorial Airport.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
-
In a crew filled with people convinced of the superiority of their own methods, Cooper just wants to look at peacocks, call his grandma, and engage in some PG-13 flirting with fellow innocent oddball Kat.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Don't Ignore The Warning Signs A clogged bathroom sink is easier to prevent than to fix.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
6 June 2026
-
Then, replace indoor air filters since clogged filters can restrict airflow.—
Kat Tretina,
Charlotte Observer,
3 June 2026
Verb
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The Justice Department was required to prove Lander knowingly and unreasonably obstructed the usual use of elevators and an elevator lobby.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
11 June 2026
-
Investigators allege renovation bosses used flammable scaffolding netting and foam boards, obstructed escape routes and falsified oversight records, putting profit over safety in the Wang Fuk Court housing complex.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Verb
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That much was clear to the thousands and thousands of fans who packed the streets outside of Madison Square Garden and throughout the five boroughs on Saturday night, celebrating in glorious, delirious bliss after the Knicks won Game 5 of the NBA Finals, 94-90, in San Antonio.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
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McAfee, not fully grasping why people would want to drink milk that was unpasteurized, nonetheless went to his silo, filled half-gallon containers and packed them in ice chests.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Adjective
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If the plants are too congested, replant the healthiest sections.—
Rachel Silva,
Martha Stewart,
11 June 2026
-
While the region thankfully remains far less congested and self-serious, the Allison endures as a uniquely supple base for exploring.—
David Amsden,
Travel + Leisure,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 people jammed onto the street, listening to music by the Good Time Collective.—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
11 June 2026
-
In 2006, the couple jammed out side by side at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.—
Kate Hogan,
PEOPLE,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dammed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dammed. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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