as in breastworks
a raised bank or wall made of soil
prehistoric earthworks
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Recent Examples of earthworks
As the seat of the Kingdom of Benin, the city was renowned for monumental earthworks and extraordinary bronze artistry.
—
Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
Andrew Scherer, a professor of archaeology and the ancient world, also at Brown, said the sheer size of the earthworks, their early age and the lack of a significant social hierarchy made the site particularly interesting.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earthworks
Noun
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Decades ago, farmers built simple earthen embankments to protect their fields and livestock from seasonal flooding.—
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In Prague, large concrete blocks have been placed along popular embankments and around key foot-traffic areas, while police have increased patrols to monitor potential targets.—
Noun
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Great views of Lisbon abound from numerous venues throughout the city, but this one, with its maze of towers, ramparts, and courtyards atop the highest hill in the city, is the most distinctive setting.—
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It is comprised of two ramparts, one around the exterior of the village, and a small one situated at the center of the mound.—
Noun
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Following the defeat, the players didn’t hang their heads.—
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Moore showed off her show-stopping red carpet style at the 2026 WWD Style Awards that same evening, turning heads in a side boob-baring black halterneck Gucci dress with a completely open back and sheer skirt.—
Noun
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Clara Silva’s defense was huge, with the sophomore center having multiple blocks and making the Sun Devils consider and reconsider every shot at the rim.—
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The truck was stopped several blocks away, surrounded by police cars, The Associated Press reported.—
Noun
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Common issues like ice dams, leaks, and clogs can all be avoided with preventative gutter maintenance.—
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The situation is not all that different from that along the Mississippi, Missouri or Tennessee rivers, where a series of dams controls water flow.—
Noun
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Officials had worried that a system of dikes along the Skagit River would fail, and potentially inundate parts of Mount Vernon, a riverside town of about 35,000.—
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Chinese mitten crabs burrow into levees, dikes, and stream banks, increasing erosion and threatening flood-control systems.—
Noun
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January is breeding season for the invasive snakes in Florida, and the species is known to congregate in breeding balls on elevated levees and tree islands.—
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Now, though levees may not exactly be back, royal affectations and the disputes that go with them are.—
Noun
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Russian barrages are aiming at power plants and large substations, and procuring replacement equipment such as transformers can take months, according to Dennis Sakva, an energy sector analyst at Dragon Capital, a Ukrainian investment company.—
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The fighting included fighter jet sorties, exchanges of rocket fire and artillery barrages.—
Cite this Entry
“Earthworks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earthworks. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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