noun
- temporary watertight enclosures built around construction sites in water to allow work to be done in dry conditions
Usage: engineering; construction
Examples
- The engineers installed cofferdams around the bridge foundation to keep the water out.
- Workers pumped water from the cofferdams before beginning construction.
- The dam repair required massive cofferdams to isolate the work area.
- Steel sheet piles formed the walls of the cofferdams.
- Once the cofferdams were in place, construction could proceed safely.
- The cofferdams allowed workers to build the pier foundation below the waterline.