1. an embankment built to prevent flooding by containing a river or stream within its channel
Usage: chiefly New Zealand

Examples

• The council reinforced the stopbank after last year’s flood damage.
• Heavy rainfall tested the strength of the river’s stopbank.
• Engineers inspected the stopbank for signs of erosion.
• The new stopbank will protect the town from future flooding.
• Residents were evacuated when the stopbank began to weaken.
• The stopbank held firm during the worst of the storm.