: 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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Yuba Water Agency, which operates the dam, has had the spillway designed and is seeking state and federal funds to pay for it, with 2027 targeted for construction.
—
Jake Goodrick, Sacramento Bee, 15 Mar. 2025
The storms brought so much rain to Northern California that officials released water from Lake Oroville's main spillway earlier this week as a flooding mitigation effort.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
Or, on the spillway side, Riverhaven Drive resident Andrew Freund has been able to wade summer after summer into the peaceful, shallow, clear water below his and his wife Devon’s house with a snorkel and a mask on his head, surveying the bottom of the entire cove.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 26 Feb. 2025
If reservoirs fill to the top too quickly in big storms, large amounts of water are released down their spillways, causing flooding to homes and communities downstream.
—Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spillway
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Jake Goodrick, Sacramento Bee, 15 Mar. 2025
The storms brought so much rain to Northern California that officials released water from Lake Oroville's main spillway earlier this week as a flooding mitigation effort.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
Or, on the spillway side, Riverhaven Drive resident Andrew Freund has been able to wade summer after summer into the peaceful, shallow, clear water below his and his wife Devon’s house with a snorkel and a mask on his head, surveying the bottom of the entire cove.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 26 Feb. 2025
If reservoirs fill to the top too quickly in big storms, large amounts of water are released down their spillways, causing flooding to homes and communities downstream.
—Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 13 Feb. 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 29 Mar. 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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