channel

1 of 3

noun (1)

chan·​nel ˈcha-nᵊl How to pronounce channel (audio)
1
a
: the bed where a natural stream of water runs
b
: the deeper part of a river, harbor, or strait
c
: a strait or narrow sea between two close landmasses
crossed the English Channel
d
: a means of communication or expression: such as
(1)
: a path along which information (such as data or music) in the form of an electrical signal passes
(2)
channels plural : a fixed or official course of communication
went through established military channels with his grievances
e
: a way, course, or direction of thought or action
new channels of exploration
f
: a band of frequencies of sufficient width for a single radio or television communication
g
h
: an account on an online media sharing or streaming service from which one can make media content (such as videos) available to others using the service
The video was posted Saturday and has been viewed thousands of times since being picked up by YouTube channels devoted to UFOs and unsolved mysteries …Mark Price
The Washington Post and Bloomberg covered the Russia-United States summit live on their Twitch channels.Alexandra Arriaga
2
a
: a usually tubular enclosed passage : conduit
the poison channel in a snake's fangs
b
: a passage created in a selectively permeable cell membrane by a conformational change in membrane proteins
also : the proteins of such a passage compare ion channel
3
: a long gutter, groove, or furrow
a road channel
4
: a metal bar of flattened U-shaped section

channel

2 of 3

verb

channeled or channelled; channeling or channelling

transitive verb

1
a
: to form, cut, or wear a channel in
The river channeled a new course.
b
: to make a groove in
channel a chair leg
2
: to convey or direct into or through a channel
channel his energy into useful work
3
: to serve as a channeler or intermediary for
a 35,000-year-old female channeled by a 40-year-old housewife

channel

3 of 3

noun (2)

: one of the flat ledges of heavy plank or metal bolted edgewise to the outside of a ship to increase the spread of the shrouds (see shroud entry 1 sense 3a)

Examples of channel in a Sentence

Verb She's started channeling her anger towards me. He channeled millions of dollars into the program.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
To celebrate its 30th anniversary, TCM on April 14 will present a 24-hour marathon of films with historical introductions from Robert Osborne and throughout the month feature programming with other staffers who started with the channel, it was announced Thursday. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 In polls released last month by Israeli news channels 12 and 13, Gantz's party led Netanyahu's Likud in Knesset seats if an election were to take place, Haaretz reported. Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024 Brands need to consistently message across every channel. Dara A. Busch, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024 The show will air daily on Egyptian Free-to-air channel Al Nahar, streaming platform TOD, Pay TV channel BEIN Drama across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, free-to-air channel SBC in Saudi Arabia and Fujairah TV in the United Arab Emirates. Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 Nearly 100 people crossed into the U.S. from the Tijuana River channel on Sunday morning, an incident that was captured on video by people in waiting line at the PedWest crossing nearby in San Ysidro. Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024 Finding the exact channel took years of trial and error. Quanta Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024 Facebook and Instagram are of the most popular channels for buying fakes: A survey of shoppers in 17 countries last year found that 68 percent of people who bought a knockoff on social media did so on Facebook. Louise Matsakis, WIRED, 10 Mar. 2024 Now, tens of millions of views is the norm for top YouTube channels. Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
Verb
The Anyone but You actor was definitely channeling the Disney princess in this powder blue silk gown—if the Disney princess had turned up the bombshell factor to 11. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 15 Mar. 2024 Gosling gets to exercise his comedic chops again here, channeling bits of Barbie‘s Ken in Colt. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 For her 2024 look, Christensen wore her hair parted to the side as her curls channeled an Old Hollywood glam vibe. Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Likely minus his signature turtleneck and shoulder gun holster, driving the new Mustang while channeling McQueen isn’t a bad way to go. James Raia, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2024 Haq, on the other hand, manages to deliver a period-appropriate performance reminiscent of classic Bollywood, channeling Khanna’s poise and charisma. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024 The percussion here is Latin disco, the keyboard sound is early Prince and the vocals are classic Madonna, channeling disco euphoria while dreaming of a holiday. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024 End of carousel Director Séamus Miller’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy imagines its title character, channeled by James Finley, as a figure in an action-adventure video game. Celia Wren, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 In the months that followed, Babcock reached out to other families going through similar losses and began to channel her pain and anger into organizing a protest in D.C. Eileen Finan, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'channel.' 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 (1) and Verb

Middle English chanel, from Anglo-French, from Latin canalis channel — more at canal

Noun (2)

alteration of chainwale, from chain entry 1 + wale entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1672, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of channel was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near channel

Cite this Entry

“Channel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/channel. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

channel

1 of 2 noun
chan·​nel ˈchan-ᵊl How to pronounce channel (audio)
1
: the bed of a stream
2
: the deeper part of a river, harbor, or strait
3
: a strait or a narrow sea between two close large areas of land
the English Channel
4
: a way of passing something along
negotiating through diplomatic channels
5
: a group of frequencies close enough in value for a single radio or television communication
6
: a closed passage through which something flows
7
: a long gutter, groove, or track

channel

2 of 2 verb
channeled or channelled; channeling or channelling
1
: to form a channel in
2
: to direct into or through a channel

Medical Definition

channel

noun
chan·​nel ˈchan-ᵊl How to pronounce channel (audio)
1
: a usually tubular enclosed passage
2
a
: a passage created in a selectively permeable membrane by a conformational change in membrane proteins see ion channel
b
: a protein or cluster of proteins that functions as a channel see calcium channel blocker

More from Merriam-Webster on channel

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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