spillway

noun/ˈspɪlweɪ/

Frequency rank: #16,881 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

a channel or passage built to carry away excess water from a dam or reservoir.

Illustration for the English word “spillway”

Example sentence

During heavy rainfall, water flowed rapidly through the spillway to prevent the dam from overflowing.

Synonyms & related words

More words in ranks 16,801–16,900