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noun

culvert

KUL-vuht
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Culvert (noun) means a pipe or covered channel that carries a stream, ditch or drainage water underneath a road, railway or embankment. Example: “The stream disappears into a culvert beneath the bypass.”

noun
1
A pipe or covered channel that carries a stream, ditch or drainage water underneath a road, railway or embankment.
"The stream disappears into a culvert beneath the bypass."
"Heavy rain blocked the culvert and the lane flooded."
verb
1
To enclose a watercourse in such a channel, usually so that something can be built over it.
"Much of the river was culverted in the nineteenth century."

How to use culvert

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA pipe that lets water run under a road.

When to use it

Standard in engineering, planning and flood-risk contexts, and understood generally.

Memory tip

A culvert carries water across an obstacle; a drain collects water and takes it away. The word is not used for the pipes inside a building.

Trace the full origin ↓
Easily confused with
culvert vs drain culvert vs storm drain culvert vs sewer
Common pairings
blocked culvert concrete culvert box culvert culvert under the road
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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

The stream disappears into a _____ beneath the bypass.

Etymology

Origin obscure, with a number of possible etymologies suggested: * a dialectal word, * a word related to the name of the now-forgotten inventor, * a derivation from French couvert (“covered”), although couvert is not used in this sense and the French translation of culvert is ponceau or buse de drainage, * a derivation from an unrecorded Dutch word, possibly *coul-vaart, a combination of Dutch coul-, from French couler (“to flow”), and Dutch vaart (“a trip by boat, a canal”).

Origin: French

Synonyms

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conduit drain channel underpass duct

Related words

line river channel transport medium conduct crossing flood

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a culvert and a bridge?
A culvert carries the water through an enclosed pipe or box with earth and road built on top of it. A bridge spans the water with an open channel underneath. Engineers generally use a culvert for small watercourses and a bridge for larger ones.
What is the difference between a culvert and a storm drain?
A culvert carries an existing stream or ditch under an obstruction. A storm drain is a built system that collects rainwater from roads and roofs and pipes it away. A storm drain may discharge into a culverted watercourse.
Who is responsible for maintaining a culvert?
In most jurisdictions the landowner whose property the watercourse crosses is responsible for keeping it clear, with the highway authority responsible for culverts under public roads. Blocked culverts are a common cause of local flooding.
What is the meaning of culvert?
"culvert" (noun) means a pipe or covered channel that carries a stream, ditch or drainage water underneath a road, railway or embankment.

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line river channel transport medium conduct crossing flood
etymology from Wiktionary