dam用作动词作“筑坝拦水,以水坝阻拦”“挡住”解,指用障碍物堵塞,以防止水流、眼泪等继续流出,其后可接名词或代词作宾语。引申可表示“抑制,克制”,这时常与up连用。

dam up(v.+adv.)
▲dam sth⇔up
1.筑堤〔坝〕拦(水) keep back (water) by building a wall or band in its way
They have dammed up that river.他们在那条河中筑水坝。
◇用于be ～ed结构
A stream was dammed up.溪流被坝截断了。
2.抑制; 控制control
It's hard to dam up one's feelings.一个人要抑制自己的感情是不容易的。

用作及物动词
▲S+～+n./pron.
The laboring people tried their best to dam the river.劳动人民尽最大努力筑堤防洪。
The girl lost her boy friend, she couldnt dam her feeling.这个女孩失恋了,她不能控制自己的感情。
▲S+～+n./pron.+tov
They dammed the water to control flooding.他们筑坝来防洪水。

dam, bar, block, hinder, impede, obstruct
参见block条。

［词源］＜古挪威语dammr(坝)

The Aswan Dam helps to control the River Nile in Egypt.阿斯旺水坝有助于控制埃及的尼罗河。