puts one's finger in the dyke

A form of put one's finger in the dyke — To attempt to temporarily stop or stem an impending disaster, particularly when the effort is too small to fully address the scale of the problem.

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Meanings

verb
  1. indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of put one's finger in the dyke
Cite this entry
APA

puts one's finger in the dyke. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/puts%20one's%20finger%20in%20the%20dyke

MLA

“puts one's finger in the dyke.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/puts%20one's%20finger%20in%20the%20dyke. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “puts one's finger in the dyke,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/puts%20one's%20finger%20in%20the%20dyke.

Source: puts one's finger in the dyke on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.