wharf

noun

ˈ(h)wȯrf 

plural wharves ˈ(h)wȯrvz  also wharfs

1

: a structure built along or at an angle from the shore of navigable waters so that ships may lie alongside to receive and discharge cargo and passengers

2

obsolete : the bank of a river or the shore of the sea

Synonyms of wharf

• dock
• pier
• quay

Examples of wharf in a Sentence

tied the rowboat up at the wharf

Recent Examples on the Web

Nightlife Howard Smith Wharves Once an underused stretch of industrial wharf, Howard Smith Wharves is now Brisbane’s liveliest nightlife destination. —Alli Forde, Travel + Leisure, 6 Nov. 2025

Docked at the Clark Street Bridge in Chicago, the ship rolled over into the river at the wharf's edge. —Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Nov. 2025

Westerman drove several times a week to the wharf or nearby ocean overlooks in Santa Cruz, Stewart said. —Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025

In the 2007-08 fiscal year, the port authority increased fees for five major services, including tugboats, water supply, wharf rent, container storage and container loading and unloading. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 15 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English hwearf embankment, wharf; akin to Old English hweorfan to turn, Old High German hwerban, Greek karpos wrist

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for wharf

• dwarf
• morph
• orf
• polymorph

Kids Definition

wharf

noun

ˈhwȯrf 

ˈwȯrf

plural wharves ˈhwȯrvz 

ˈwȯrvz

also wharfs

: a structure built on the shore at which ships can load and unload