breakwater
noun
break·wa·ter
ˈbrāk-ˌwȯ-tər 
-ˌwä-
: an offshore structure (such as a wall) protecting a harbor or beach from the force of waves
Examples of breakwater in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For many years, sand has been dumped on beaches and groins, and jetties and breakwaters have been constructed in efforts to protect the coastline, with mixed results.
—
Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 May 2024
His first memory was running with his mother into the breakwater off Honmoku Beach to escape the firebombing that destroyed his neighborhood.
—Victoria Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 4 May 2024
Unlike a typical breakwater, which amounts to a pile of rocks, the Living Breakwater has shallow tidal pools, and fingers that gradually taper into deeper water, creating multiple habitat realms for marine food chains — hatchling fish, lobsters, larger fish, seals.
—Bill Kearney, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024
Why was Oshkosh's Monkey Island created? Monkey Island was constructed by the Oshkosh Yacht Club in 1913 as a breakwater for boats docked in Miller's Bay, according to Oshkosh Daily Northwestern records.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2024
In August 1955, the Northwestern reported that, at a meeting of the Oshkosh Common Council's finance and public works committee, the water board proposed extending the breakwater to create a pre-treatment basin for the city's water department.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2024
On a recent day, Madeline Magee and Rae-Ann Eifert, lake monitors for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, braved sub-freezing temperatures to gather buckets of lake water off a Racine breakwater as part of Vick-Majors' project.
—Todd Richmond, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024
Starting in 1889, some 1 million tons of rock was quarried to help create a breakwater that led to the harbor.
—Jerry Rice, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
First, the water is relatively flat thanks to a breakwater built two miles offshore in the 1940s to help protect the U.S. Navy’s Pacific fleet.
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2024
Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 May 2024
His first memory was running with his mother into the breakwater off Honmoku Beach to escape the firebombing that destroyed his neighborhood.
—Victoria Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 4 May 2024
Unlike a typical breakwater, which amounts to a pile of rocks, the Living Breakwater has shallow tidal pools, and fingers that gradually taper into deeper water, creating multiple habitat realms for marine food chains — hatchling fish, lobsters, larger fish, seals.
—Bill Kearney, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024
Why was Oshkosh's Monkey Island created? Monkey Island was constructed by the Oshkosh Yacht Club in 1913 as a breakwater for boats docked in Miller's Bay, according to Oshkosh Daily Northwestern records.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2024
In August 1955, the Northwestern reported that, at a meeting of the Oshkosh Common Council's finance and public works committee, the water board proposed extending the breakwater to create a pre-treatment basin for the city's water department.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2024
On a recent day, Madeline Magee and Rae-Ann Eifert, lake monitors for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, braved sub-freezing temperatures to gather buckets of lake water off a Racine breakwater as part of Vick-Majors' project.
—Todd Richmond, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024
Starting in 1889, some 1 million tons of rock was quarried to help create a breakwater that led to the harbor.
—Jerry Rice, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
First, the water is relatively flat thanks to a breakwater built two miles offshore in the 1940s to help protect the U.S. Navy’s Pacific fleet.
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'breakwater.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Breakwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breakwater. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
breakwater
noun
break·wa·ter
ˈbrāk-ˌwȯt-ər
-ˌwät-
: an offshore structure (as a wall) to protect a harbor or beach from the force of waves
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