dike
/ˈdaɪkiː/UK/daɪk/
dike is the US standard spelling of dyke.
dike is the alternative form of deck.
dike is the alternative form of dyke.
dike is the contraction of diagonal cutters.
Meaning of dyke
Noun
dyke (plural dykes)
- An earthwork raised to prevent inundation of low land by the sea or flooding rivers.
- The king of Texcuco advised the building of a great dike, so thick and strong as to keep out the water.1891, Susan Hale, The Story of Nations: Mexico, page 100
- A low embankment or stone wall serving as an enclosure and boundary marker.
- The Galloway Dyke / In southwest Scotland there is a local style of dry stone dyke that is now recognized as 'the Galloway dyke', although when this pattern of ^([sic]) was first developed, it was simply described as 'the sheep dyke'.'2023 February 21, Nick Aitken, Dry Stone Walling - Materials and Techniques, The Crowood Press, →ISBN
- A raised causeway.
- A long, narrow hollow dug from the ground to conduct water.
- Any navigable watercourse.
- Any watercourse.
Meaning of deck
Noun
deck (plural decks)
- Any raised flat surface that can be walked on: a balcony; a porch; a raised patio; a flat rooftop.
- The floorlike covering of the horizontal sections, or compartments, of a ship or boat. Small vessels have only one deck; larger ships have two or three decks.
- Holonyms: watercraft, vessel, vessel
- A main aeroplane surface, especially of a biplane or multiplane.
- A pack or set of playing cards.
- A set of cards owned by each individual player and from which they draw when playing.
- Synonyms:
- library
- A headline consisting of one or more full lines of text; especially, a subheadline.
- If there's a strapline or subdeck, write these after the main deck and don't use the same words.2005, Richard Keeble, Print Journalism: A Critical Introduction, page 114
Verb (1)
dike (third-person singular simple present dikes, present participle diking, simple past and past participle diked)
Noun
dike (plural dikes)
Verb (2)
dike (third-person singular simple present dikes, present participle diking, simple past and past participle diked)
- To cut or remove using dikes.
Proper noun (1) capitalized: Dike
Dike
- A topographic surname from Middle English for someone living near a dike.
Proper noun (2) capitalized: Dike
Dike
Synonyms of dike
- dapperling
- macaroni
- toff
- carpet knight
- dandy
- dood
- fashionable
- fast man
- fine gentleman
- fop
29 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Antonyms
- Adikia
Forms of dike
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | dikes |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | dikes |
| present participle | diking |
| past participle | diked |
| past | diked |
| Proper noun | |
| alternative form | Dikê |
| alternative form | Dikē |
Origin of dike
From Northern Middle English dik and dike (“ditch”), from Old Norse díki (“ditch”). Influenced by Middle Dutch dijc (“ditch; dam”) and Middle Low German dīk (“dam”). See also ditch.
Of uncertain etymology, first attested in mid-19th century Virginia. Possibly a variant of deck and deck out or influenced by them.
Contraction of diagonal + cutters.
Words formed from dike
Phrases with dike
Words that rhyme with dike
Questions about dike
- What does dike mean?
- Dike means to be well dressed.
- What is dike the US standard spelling of?
- Dike is the US standard spelling of dyke.
- What part of speech is dike?
- Dike can be a verb, a noun or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce dike?
- Dike is pronounced /daɪk/ (UK).
- What is the past tense of dike?
- The past tense of dike is diked.
Words near dike in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: dike (page history and authors); Dike (page history and authors); dyke (page history and authors); deck (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-dike.ogg.
Cite this entry: “dike.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/dike. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.