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

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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 Fire officials warned that canals can become dangerous quickly because of fast-moving water and strong currents, as seen in the rescue video. Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 29 July 2026 Drawing an analogy to the Erie Canal, the article posits AI as the canal and data as the water; true competitive advantage stems from differentiated data, not just faster processing of widely available information. Gary Drenik, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 The agency’s testing identified cyclospora in two samples taken from a canal that the farm used for irrigation. Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 25 July 2026 In Florida, wild iguanas can live in burrows, culverts, drainage pipes and rock and debris piles found along canal banks or in vacant lots. Julia Gomez, USA Today, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for canal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canal
Noun
  • Roughly half the farm receives water from Northern California via a vast system of aqueducts.
    Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026
  • These properties have enabled the likes of the Pantheon, ancient Roman aqueducts, and even parts of the Colosseum to survive two millennia, while some Brutalist buildings from the 1960s that were made from modern concrete are crumbling.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 July 2026
Noun
  • Environmental groups estimate, using methods developed by the EPA, that unregulated businesses have been responsible for 30% to 60% of copper and zinc found in waterways, which at high concentrations are toxic to fish and other animals.
    Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
  • Eighty percent of China’s oil imports arrive through the Strait of Malacca, a narrow waterway that could be cut off in the event of a conflict over Taiwan.
    Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Canal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canal. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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