Entry Word: channel

Function: noun

Meaning: 1 an open man-made passageway for water <water was drained from the swamp through a specially constructed channel>

Synonyms aqueduct, canal, conduit, flume, raceway, watercourse, waterway

Related Words millrace, millstream; river, rivulet, stream

2 a narrow body of water between two land masses <the world record for swimming the channel between France and Great Britain>

Synonyms narrows, sound, strait

Related Words arm, bay, gulf, inlet; roads, roadstead; reach, stretch

3 a direct way of passing along information or supplies <you need to make arrangements through the proper channels> — see pipeline
4 a long hollow cylinder for carrying a substance (as a liquid or gas) <had to replace the main water channel> — see pipe 1