noun
- low-lying or depressed and often wet stretches of land
- shallow channels or ditches designed to manage stormwater runoff
Usage: environmental engineering
Examples
- The cattle grazed in the grassy swales between the hills.
- Water collected in the natural swales after the heavy rain.
- The city installed vegetated swales along the roadway to filter runoff.
- Wildflowers bloomed in the moist swales throughout the meadow.
- The golf course designer incorporated natural swales into the layout.
- Engineers planned swales to direct water away from the building foundation.