culvert

noun

cul·​vert ˈkəl-vərt How to pronounce culvert (audio)
1
: a transverse drain
2
: a conduit for a culvert
3
: a bridge over a culvert

Examples of culvert in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The vehicle's front passenger side then hit a concrete culvert and was airborne for roughly 100 feet before the car landed in the lake. Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024 The project would also introduce thousands of culverts the area’s wild rivers—famous for salmon, trout, and sheefish. Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 22 Feb. 2024 Nine of 16 culverts beneath the highway east of El Camino Real were replaced, some up to 240 feet long and as deep as 60 feet. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2024 The vehicle drove off the right side of the road, struck a concrete drainage culvert, and overturned, according to a Kansas City Police Department news release. Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2024 But there has been a lot of anger among residents that the city has fallen short there, not just in building new projects, but for not maintaining existing channels and culverts to keep them from getting backed up. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024 Animals’ hoofs often sink into saturated ground while members of the sanctuary’s staff undertake flood mitigation efforts, installing culvert pipes and curtain drains, among other tactics, to no avail. Hilary Howard, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024 There continued to be visible movement in the soil along the troubled hillside, but the restoration of a culvert system appeared to be effective, according to an update by Metrolink spokesperson Scott Johnson. Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 5 Feb. 2024 The San Bernardino Line will see new culverts for diverting rainwater and storm runoff underneath the tracks to prevent flash flooding. Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2023

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

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1773, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of culvert was in 1773

Dictionary Entries Near culvert

Cite this Entry

“Culvert.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culvert. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

culvert

noun
cul·​vert ˈkəl-vərt How to pronounce culvert (audio)
: a drain or waterway crossing under a road or railroad

More from Merriam-Webster on culvert

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!