Definition

1. Noun:
   • A wall built to hold back soil or water: A "retaining wall" is a structure designed to restrain soil, rock, or other materials to a slope it would not naturally keep. Its primary function is to resist lateral pressure, preventing earth from moving downslope.

Usage

• A "retaining wall" is used in civil engineering and landscaping to create level areas on sloped land, prevent erosion, and manage earth pressure.
• It is a specific type of wall; the term is not typically used as a verb or in other grammatical forms.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The engineers constructed a sturdy retaining wall to support the new road on the hillside.
  • We built a small retaining wall in the garden to create a flat terrace for planting flowers.

Advanced Usage

• "Gravity retaining wall": A type of retaining wall that relies on its own weight to resist the pressure of the earth behind it.
• "Cantilever retaining wall": A common type of retaining wall made from reinforced concrete, shaped like an inverted "T" or "L" to use leverage for stability.

Variants and Related Words

• Retaining structure (n): A broader term for any structure, including walls, that holds back earth or water.
• Bulkhead (n): A retaining wall, especially one built along a waterfront.
• Revetment (n): A retaining wall or facing of stone, concrete, or other material, used to support an embankment or protect a shore.

Synonyms

• Support wall: A wall that provides support, often used similarly in context.
• Breast wall: A low retaining wall.

Related Phrases

• To build a retaining wall: The common phrase describing the construction action.
• Retaining wall failure: A term used in engineering to describe when a wall collapses or no longer functions correctly.

Related Idioms

Noun

1. a wall that is built to resist lateral pressure (especially a wall built to prevent the advance of a mass of earth)