barricade vs dam

barricade

verb
  • to keep someone in (or out), using a blockade, especially ships in a port 

  • to close or block a road etc., using a barricade 

noun
  • A barrier constructed across a road, especially as a military defence 

  • An obstacle, barrier, or bulwark. 

  • A place of confrontation. 

dam

verb
  • To block the flow of water. 

intj
  • Damn. 

noun
  • An obsolete Indian copper coin, equal to a fortieth of a rupee. 

  • A structure placed across a flowing body of water to stop the flow or part of the flow, generally for purposes such as retaining or diverting some of the water or retarding the release of accumulated water to avoid abrupt flooding. 

  • A former coin of Nepal, 128 of which were worth one mohar. 

  • A device to prevent a tooth from getting wet during dental work, consisting of a rubber sheet held with a band. 

  • A firebrick wall, or a stone, which forms the front of the hearth of a blast furnace. 

  • The water reservoir resulting from placing such a structure. 

  • A reservoir. 

  • Female parent, mother, generally regarding breeding of animals. 

  • A kind of crowned piece in the game of draughts. 

adj
  • Damn. 

How often have the words barricade and dam occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )