Definition

1. Verb (transitive):
   • To block or obstruct the flow of something, typically water, by building or creating a barrier (a dam).
   • To restrain or hold back something that flows or moves, such as emotions, words, or information, as if by constructing a dam.

Usage

• The verb "dam up" is used to describe the physical act of stopping the natural course of water or another fluid. It is also used figuratively to describe suppressing feelings, tears, or speech.
• It is a separable phrasal verb. The object can often come between "dam" and "up" (e.g., "dam the water up") or after the phrase (e.g., "dam up the water").

Examples

• Physical Obstruction:
  • The beavers worked to dam up the stream, creating a large pond.
  • They plan to dam up the river to generate hydroelectric power.
• Figurative Use (restraining emotions/information):
  • She tried to dam up her tears during the sad movie.
  • For years, he dammed up his grief, refusing to talk about the loss.

Advanced Usage

• "to dam something up": Emphasizes the action of creating a blockage against a specific force or flow.
  • The landslide dammed the valley up, threatening the village below.
• Often used in the passive voice to describe a state of being blocked.
  • The old canal has been dammed up for decades.

Variants and Related Words

• Dam (verb): The base verb, carrying the same meanings as "dam up."
  • The primary goal was to dam the river.
• Dam (noun): A barrier constructed to hold back water.
  • The Hoover Dam is an engineering marvel.

Synonyms

• Block: To stop movement through or along.
• Stem: To stop or restrain (often used with "the flow").
• Staunch/Stanch: To stop the flow of (blood or another fluid).
• Hold back: To restrain or keep from proceeding.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Block up: To obstruct completely, making a passage closed.
  • Leaves blocked up the drain.
• Choke off: To stop or restrict the flow or supply of something.
  • The sanctions choked off the country's oil revenue.

Related Idioms

• Bottle up: To repress or conceal feelings instead of expressing them. This is a closer figurative synonym for the emotional sense of "dam up."
  • It's not healthy to bottle up your anger.

Verb

1. obstruct with, or as if with, a dam
   • dam the gorges of the Yangtse River