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culvert

culvert

9 6.8
A pipe under a road or railway that lets water flow
  • noun
  • /ˈkʌlvərt/
  • Specialized
: alcantarilla
  • The construction crew installed a new culvert to improve drainage under the road.

We would take it and we would go through culverts.

Examples

  • The two of them rush over the culvert and up to the car.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Currently, runoff is collected and channeled to the ocean through huge concrete culverts to prevent flooding.

    Academic text (2002)
  • I stepped into the culvert and walked close to the wall.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The pump is sucking up water faster than the culvert is actually letting it through.

  • Design or maintenance flaws can cause culverts to block fish migration.

    Academic text (2017)
  • A floodgate was installed at the culvert under Jethro Mills Road.

    Academic text (2007)
  • City residents drank water from wells and watched sewage pour down open culverts through their neighborhood.

    Academic text (2010)
  • In addition to barrier culverts, dams also impede salmon migration.

    Academic text (2017)
  • During heavy rains, water flowed through the culvert to prevent flooding on the highway.

  • The city has plans to replace old culverts that can no longer handle large volumes of water.

Synonyms

conduit
vsculvert
97 6.5

A pipe or channel that carries water, wires and other things

is specific to letting water pass beneath roads or railways
channel
vsculvert
57 3.8

A deep narrow waterway that ships can use

is specifically used to carry water under built obstructions rather than as a general passage
drainpipe
vsculvert
9 2.5

A pipe that carries water away from a building, for example from the roof

handles surface flow under roads rather than removing building wastewater
water pipe
vsculvert
  • Specialized
6 1.0

A tube that carries water into a house or building

serves outdoors to let water flow under roads or embankments, not indoor plumbing
watercourse
vsculvert
1 4.8

A channel, natural or man-made, where water flows like a river

is a constructed pipe or channel that passes water beneath infrastructure
duiker
vsculvert
  • South African
9.9

A small pipe or channel that lets water flow under a road

has identical meaning but is an alternate regional term
underdrain
vsculvert
  • Specialized
6.8

A pipe below ground that carries away extra water from soil and buildings

is placed under surface routes to carry flowing water beneath them

How Big

bridge
∞ 1.0
aqueduct
18 6.3
culvert
  • Specialized
9 6.8
pipe
344 1.0

Surface Forms

culvert singular
culverts plural

Etymology

The word culvert probably comes from old words meaning 'covered channel', so a helpful way to remember it is to think of cover. A culvert is a covered pipe or channel that lets water flow under a road, which is why the name fits.