Berm

/bɜː(ɹ)m/ · noun

Meaning

A narrow ledge or shelf, as along the top or bottom of a slope..

Definitions by Sense

1. A narrow ledge or shelf, as along the top or bottom of a slope.
2. A raised bank or path, especially the bank of a canal opposite the towpath.
3. (mining, Australia) One of the flat terraces on the slope of an open-pit mine.
4. A terrace or shelf of sand along a beach, formed above the high tide water level by wave action.
5. A long mound or bank of earth, used especially as a barrier or to provide insulation.
6. (mining, US, Canada) A small wall along the edge of a bench of an open-pit mine, intended to prevent items falling over the crest.
7. A ledge between the parapet and the moat in a fortification.
8. (Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Zealand) A strip of land between a street and sidewalk.

Example Sentences

The big canals in Europe, in Holland, have a great big berm on the side of the canal several feet wide, which they leave there on purpose to plant reeds in, so as to get a reedy vegetation to protect their slope. Then, beyond that, there is an earthen slope that is grassed and sodded.

On some beaches, the berm grows higher in summer and flattens out in the rougher winter seas.

A berm separates the Moroccan-controlled and Polisario-controlled parts of Western Sahara.

The sun soaked our street in hot yellow, and the berms were gasping for water.

Synonyms for berm

Antonyms for berm

Related Words

Word Forms

• berms
• berming
• bermed

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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