dam
/ˈdæm/
nounverb
Common
1.n.a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
2.n.a metric unit of length equal to ten meters
3.n.female parent of an animal especially domestic livestock
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dam and damn are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. dam means “a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea”. damn means “used as expletives”. damn is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈdæm/
1.n.a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
2.n.a metric unit of length equal to ten meters
3.n.female parent of an animal especially domestic livestock
/ˈdæm/
| dam | damn | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈdæm/ | /ˈdæm/ |
| Said | dam | dam |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 3 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | adjective, noun, verb, adverb |
| Senses | 4 | 5 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | dike, dyke | goddamn |
1.adj.used as expletives
“oh, damn (or goddamn)!”
2.adj.expletives used informally as intensifiers
“he's a blasted idiot”
3.n.something of little value
“his promise is not worth a damn”