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culvert

culvert

9 6.8
A pipe under a road or railway that lets water flow
  • noun
  • /ˈkʌlvərt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : 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.