: 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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Water stopped flowing over the spillway by mid-afternoon Saturday.
Because of flood debris, the LCRA on Saturday was urging the public to avoid boating or swimming in the Highland Lakes.
—
Powered By, Austin American Statesman, 7 July 2025
The spillway is opened when the river is flowing into the Gulf at a rate of 1.25 million cubic feet per second.
—Amy Graff, New York Times, 3 May 2025
An extended drought in California kept surface water levels so low, the spillway was almost completely dormant for six years, KOVR and SFGate reported.
—Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 7 Feb. 2025
There, it was successfully utilized to help spawning American shad and blueback herring bypass a spillway located between Lake Marion and the Santee River.
—New Atlas, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spillway
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Powered By, Austin American Statesman, 7 July 2025
The spillway is opened when the river is flowing into the Gulf at a rate of 1.25 million cubic feet per second.
—Amy Graff, New York Times, 3 May 2025
An extended drought in California kept surface water levels so low, the spillway was almost completely dormant for six years, KOVR and SFGate reported.
—Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 7 Feb. 2025
There, it was successfully utilized to help spawning American shad and blueback herring bypass a spillway located between Lake Marion and the Santee River.
—New Atlas, 12 May 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 Jul. 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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