canal

1 of 2

noun

ca·​nal kə-ˈnal 

1

: a tubular anatomical passage or channel : duct

2

: channel, watercourse

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

Synonyms

Noun

• aqueduct
• waterway

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 Goudstikker Gallery was discovered in a seventeenth-century canal in Amsterdam, and included works by Rembrandt and Van Gogh, as well as Jan Steen and Jacob van Ruisdael, the court documents state. —Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025

But two years later, a young woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to Anastasia Romanov is pulled shivering from a canal. —Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025

Crenn has been named the first culinary creator for Les Bateaux Belmond, creating dishes for the seven small luxury boats traversing the canals in the regions of Champagne, Burgundy and the South of France. —Laurie Werner, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025

Investigators found Lloyd in a canal unresponsive — and she was declared dead at Broward Health Coral Springs. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2025

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

Phrases Containing canal

• alimentary canal
• birth canal
• ear canal
• haversian canal
• resin canal
• root canal
• semicircular canal
• spinal canal
• stone canal
• vertebral canal

Rhymes for canal

• chorale
• corral
• ghazal
• locale
• morale
• royale
• bal
• dal
• gal
• mal
• pal
• sal

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 

: a tubular anatomical passage or channel : duct see alimentary canal, Haversian canal, inguinal canal