noun
- a watertight enclosure pumped dry to permit construction work below the waterline
Usage: engineering; construction
Examples
- The engineers built a cofferdam around the bridge pier to allow underwater repairs.
- Workers pumped water out of the cofferdam before beginning foundation work.
- The cofferdam protected the construction site from the river’s current.
- Steel sheets formed the walls of the temporary cofferdam.
- Once the bridge was complete, they removed the cofferdam.
- The cofferdam allowed safe access to the riverbed for excavation.