Meaning & use
viaducts
Last updated
“viaducts” is a form of “viaduct”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
Long bridges, often with many arches, that carry a road or railway across a valley or low ground.
Grammar: Plural of viaduct; for one, use a viaduct.
Patterns
- viaducts over something
- viaducts across something
Stone viaducts carry the railway across the valley.
The motorway runs on concrete viaducts for several miles.
Roman engineers built viaducts to bring water to cities.
Word forms
| singular | viaduct |
|---|
Common combinations
- railway viaducts
- Railway viaducts are a common sight in northern England.
- stone viaducts
- Old stone viaducts still stand across the river.
- cross the viaducts
- The train slowly crosses the viaducts.
- elevated viaducts
- Elevated viaducts keep the highway above the flood plain.
- restore viaducts
- The council plans to restore viaducts in the old rail network.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bridges
- Bridges is wider and includes short spans, while viaducts are long and often a series of arches.
- aqueducts
- Aqueducts carry water, whereas viaducts carry roads or rails.
- overpasses
- Overpasses are shorter structures that go over another road.
Word family
Commonly confused: viaducts or aqueduct?
viaducts vs aqueduct
Aqueducts carry water, while viaducts carry roads or trains.
Practice
What do viaducts usually carry across a valley?
Choose one answer.
Viaducts are long bridges for roads and railways. Water-carrying structures are aqueducts, which is the tempting wrong choice.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “viaducts”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.