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

• dock
• pier
• quay

Examples of wharf in a Sentence

tied the rowboat up at the wharf

Recent Examples on the Web

The port planned to use it to clean up and remediate polluted areas, build facilities for handling the turbine parts, dredge the waterway and build a larger wharf capable of handling pieces of steel longer than a football field. —Lauren Sommer, NPR, 31 Aug. 2025

The infrastructure humans build in the water ‒ houses, piers, wharves, jetties, and even oil rigs ‒ create new habitats for juvenile jellyfish, called polyps, to attach and grow, Bologna said. —N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2025

This portrait was captured during a night dive beneath a busy fishing and ferry wharf in Sydney Harbour. —Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025

Frisby Cellars stayed on the wharf, but moved into a larger space at the former Waterman’s Restaurant. —Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 3 July 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