as in dock
a structure used by boats and ships for taking on or landing cargo and passengers
the tour boat pulled up to the quai on the left bank of the Seine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 quai
Rick Warner, the director of film studies at the University of North Carolina, deliberately selects films with slow pacing and subtle details, such as Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, a three-hour movie that mostly follows a woman doing chores in her apartment.
—
Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
On a recent breezy day, Jérôme Callais wrapped a secondhand biography of Robespierre tightly in cellophane, covering the burgundy leather hardcover with an expert flick of the wrist and positioning it near a weighty tome on Talleyrand inside his dark green bookstand on a quai above the Seine.
—Liz Alderman, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2020
Farther up the quai was a former monastery courtyard, overgrown but graceful.
—Bill Buford, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2020
Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
On a recent breezy day, Jérôme Callais wrapped a secondhand biography of Robespierre tightly in cellophane, covering the burgundy leather hardcover with an expert flick of the wrist and positioning it near a weighty tome on Talleyrand inside his dark green bookstand on a quai above the Seine.
—Liz Alderman, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2020
Farther up the quai was a former monastery courtyard, overgrown but graceful.
—Bill Buford, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quai
Noun
-
Along Beach Street in the Bayview Beach subdivision, where homes line a narrow channel off the river, docks and boats have been flooded over.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The Hauler has no cab (essentially a self-driving platform) and is designed for 40-foot and 53-foot shipping containers and runs dock-to-dock—unloading at the destination rather than dropping a trailer and leaving.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Morris felt a sense of belonging in the city that did not belong, and on the wharf that morning laid the foundations of a whole career exploring nostalgia and its yearnings.—
Sara Wheeler,
Big Think,
17 Apr. 2026
-
For the first time since the pandemic, the wharf recorded one million visitors last month.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Dali container ship crashed into a pier that supported the central span of the bridge in the early morning hours of March 26, 2024.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The grounds deliver classic Italian luxury—formal gardens, a pool, private pier, and boathouse—all set against lake views.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Ten 35-pound wreckfish — enormous silver deep-water dwellers that live down to 650 feet — are filleted and bagged on a large stainless-steel table on the quay.—
NPR,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Waiting at the quay were water taxis for hotel guests.—
Vic O'Sullivan,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quai.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quai. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
