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
Also on the show: Learn more about the process to clean up the canals that carry drinking water to the Phoenix area and the federal civil rights lawsuits filed over Mesa policing practices. Rafael Carranza, The Arizona Republic, 11 Mar. 2024 The Southland’s cargo volume, overall, has picked up significantly in recent months, thanks to the end of labor contract talks and diversions to the West Coast due to military conflict and drought disrupting the Suez and Panama canals, respectively. Don Lee, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Two months later, another was rescued from a canal. Jason Gulley Catrin Einhorn, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 The attacks forced traffic away from the canal and around the tip of Africa. Samy Magdy, Quartz, 6 Mar. 2024 Other sectors may reap the benefits too, with Goldman Sachs’ head of macro research in Europe, Peter Oppenheimer, comparing the buzz to the canal boom of the 18th century. Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 21 Feb. 2024 These groups built impressive terraces, dams, canals, and pyramids, many of which still exist today. Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 14 Feb. 2024 That canal has now been drained so that crews can remove excess silt and debris while the Westfield bridge is closed and a new bridge is built. Joe Mutascio, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Feb. 2024 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

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 28 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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