1. an embankment built to prevent flooding by containing or diverting water
2. a formal reception held by a person of high rank
Usage: formal; historical

Examples

• The levee protected the town from the rising river waters.
• Engineers reinforced the levee after the last flood.
• When the levee broke, thousands of homes were flooded.
• The Mississippi River levee system stretches for hundreds of miles.
• The governor attended the ambassador’s levee at the embassy.
• Royal levees were common in European courts centuries ago.