breakwater

noun

break·​wa·​ter ˈbrāk-ˌwȯ-tər How to pronounce breakwater (audio)
-ˌwä-
: an offshore structure (such as a wall) protecting a harbor or beach from the force of waves

Examples of breakwater in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In August 1955, the Northwestern reported that, at a meeting of the Oshkosh Common Council's finance and public works committee, the water board proposed extending the breakwater to create a pre-treatment basin for the city's water department. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2024 On a recent day, Madeline Magee and Rae-Ann Eifert, lake monitors for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, braved sub-freezing temperatures to gather buckets of lake water off a Racine breakwater as part of Vick-Majors' project. Todd Richmond, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024 Starting in 1889, some 1 million tons of rock was quarried to help create a breakwater that led to the harbor. Jerry Rice, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 First, the water is relatively flat thanks to a breakwater built two miles offshore in the 1940s to help protect the U.S. Navy’s Pacific fleet. Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2024 Sewage has made its way to the ocean in Seal Beach, prompting authorities to close the stretch of water from the San Gabriel River to the Anaheim Bay breakwater. Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 7 Feb. 2024 The craft ended up battered and tossed against the Long Beach breakwater near the mouth of Alamitos Bay, with those aboard scrambling up the rocks, temporarily safe but stranded and in danger. Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2024 Some of the biggest waves hit the breakwater at Children’s Pool in La Jolla, leading to its temporary closure. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Dec. 2023 Dotted along the shoreline are dredgers completing work to add artificial sand, groynes, jetties and breakwaters to prevent further coastal erosion. Time, 3 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'breakwater.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1769, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of breakwater was circa 1769

Dictionary Entries Near breakwater

Cite this Entry

“Breakwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breakwater. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

breakwater

noun
break·​wa·​ter ˈbrāk-ˌwȯt-ər How to pronounce breakwater (audio)
-ˌwät-
: an offshore structure (as a wall) to protect a harbor or beach from the force of waves

More from Merriam-Webster on breakwater

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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