canal

1 of 2

noun

ca·​nal kə-ˈnal How to pronounce canal (audio)
1
: a tubular anatomical passage or channel : duct
2
3
: an artificial waterway for navigation or for draining or irrigating land
4
: any of various faint narrow lines on the planet Mars seen through telescopes and once thought by some to be canals built by Martians

canal

2 of 2

verb

canalled or canaled; canalling or canaling

transitive verb

: to construct a canal through or across

Examples of canal in a Sentence

Noun the Panama Canal opened a much easier and shorter passageway from the Atlantic to the Pacific
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The roadway next to Interstate 80 abuts an industrial area, a flood protection canal and open space with several homeless encampments. Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 27 Feb. 2024 This includes bathtubs, buckets, toilets, ponds, and canals. Eshaan Sarup, The Arizona Republic, 26 Feb. 2024 It is delivered to the Central Valley, Bay Area and Southern California through a vast network of pumps and canals. Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024 The incident began when a resident called 911 to report the sound of a gunshot and, after going outside to investigate, seeing a man fire a gun near an irrigation canal, the Ada County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 12 Feb. 2024 There were the same boatloads of tourists on the canals, tour groups on Palace Square, overcrowded bars in Dumskaya Street. Vadim Smyslov, WIRED, 21 Feb. 2024 Many of Israel’s greatest military triumphs have indeed come from audacious tactics such as the aerial bolt from the blue in 1967 and Sharon’s dash across the canal six years later. Shashank Joshi, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 As delivery times spiraled, carriers paid as much as $4 million each at auction to skip the line to use the canal: 23 times the average cost in the previous year. Osvaldo Di Campli, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 Blocks away, Karenni Nationalities Defense Force rebels were patrolling streets littered with shell casings and artillery fragments, and the bloated bodies of dead soldiers floated in a canal bordering Loikaw University. Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'canal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Latin canalis pipe, channel, from canna reed — more at cane

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1792, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of canal was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near canal

Cite this Entry

“Canal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canal. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

canal

noun
ca·​nal
kə-ˈnal
1
: a tube-shaped bodily passage or channel : duct
2
: an artificial waterway for boats or for draining or irrigating land
3
: any of various faint narrow lines on the planet Mars seen through telescopes and formerly thought to be canals built by Martians

Medical Definition

canal

noun
ca·​nal kə-ˈnal How to pronounce canal (audio)
: a tubular anatomical passage or channel : duct see alimentary canal, Haversian canal, inguinal canal

More from Merriam-Webster on canal

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