Definition of canalnext
as in aqueduct
an open man-made passageway for water the Panama Canal opened a much easier and shorter passageway from the Atlantic to the Pacific

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of canal Their descendants scattered; their canals sat idle and eventually went dry until Swilling thought to revive them. — Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 29 Oct. 2026 The body found in a Turlock Irrigation District canal Saturday was identified as a 72-year-old missing woman, Ceres police said Tuesday. — Jose Fabian, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026 The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department Dive Unit also assisted in the search, deploying an underwater remote sonar drone to scan the canals. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2026 Not necessarily compared with in-canal buds, but rather to previous generations of open-ear designs. — Christian De Looper, PC Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for canal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canal
Noun
  • The update approved Thursday sets rules for the Sacramento River and the rest of the Delta, where pumps operated by state and federal agencies send water flowing in aqueducts to farms and cities.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Since 2003, the city has used its excess Colorado River water, which flows to the city through a 326-mile network of aqueducts, to recharge the Avra Valley aquifer.
    — Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 29 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Late Sunday, 15 waterways across northern Arizona and southwestern Colorado either reached or were forecast to reach major flood stage, triggering evacuations and washing out roads.
    — Washington Post, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2026
  • But last Christmas, the designer went out on an impulsive—and what would prove to be fateful—run through Paris along the Seine, the city’s famous central waterway.
    — Max Berlinger, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Canal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canal. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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