1
a
: the bed where a natural stream of water runs
b
: the deeper part of a river, harbor, or strait
c
: a strait or narrow sea between two close landmasses
crossed the English Channel
d
: a means of communication or expression: such as
(1)
: a path along which information (such as data or music) in the form of an electrical signal passes
(2)
channels plural
: a fixed or official course of communication
went through established military channels with his grievances
e
: a way, course, or direction of thought or action
new channels of exploration
f
: a band of frequencies of sufficient width for a single radio or television communication
g
h
: an account on an online media sharing or streaming service from which one can make media content (such as videos) available to others using the service
The video was posted Saturday and has been viewed thousands of times since being picked up by YouTube channels devoted to UFOs and unsolved mysteries …—
Mark Price
Mark PriceThe Washington Post and Bloomberg covered the Russia-United States summit live on their Twitch channels.—Alexandra Arriaga
Alexandra Arriaga2
a
: a usually tubular enclosed passage : conduit
the poison channel in a snake's fangs
b
: a passage created in a selectively permeable cell membrane by a conformational change in membrane proteins
also
: the proteins of such a passage compare ion channel
3
: a long gutter, groove, or furrow
a road channel
4
: a metal bar of flattened U-shaped section
channeled or channelled; channeling or channelling
1
a
: to form, cut, or wear a channel in
The river channeled a new course.
b
: to make a groove in
channel a chair leg
2
: to convey or direct into or through a channel
channel his energy into useful work
3
: to serve as a channeler or intermediary for
a 35,000-year-old female channeled by a 40-year-old housewife
: one of the flat ledges of heavy plank or metal bolted edgewise to the outside of a ship to increase the spread of the shrouds (see shroud entry 1 sense 3a)
Examples of channel in a Sentence
Noun (1)
water was drained from the swamp through a specially constructed channel
the world record for swimming the channel between France and Great Britain
you need to make arrangements through the proper channels
had to replace the main water channel
the channel went into a trance and began speaking in what was purported to be the voice of the deceased woman
Verb
She's started channeling her anger towards me.
He channeled millions of dollars into the program.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
The interest in that game was driven by the debut of UNC head coach Bill Belichick; TCU led 20-7 at the half, at which point most of America changed the channel.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Oct. 2025
Dan Woike, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
The second look channeled her inner angel, featuring a silky camisole, a short set and massive quilted wings.
—Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for channel
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Stream every snap on top channels like ABC, FOX, NBC, CBS, ESPN, SEC Network, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, FS1, and more.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
The interest in that game was driven by the debut of UNC head coach Bill Belichick; TCU led 20-7 at the half, at which point most of America changed the channel.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
Dončić channeled his competitive rage against the team that knocked him out of the playoffs a season ago.
—Dan Woike, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
The second look channeled her inner angel, featuring a silky camisole, a short set and massive quilted wings.
—Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for channel
Cite this Entry
“Channel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/channel. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
channel
1 of 2 noun
chan·nel
ˈchan-ᵊl 
1
: the bed of a stream
2
: the deeper part of a river, harbor, or strait
3
: a strait or a narrow sea between two close large areas of land
the English Channel
4
: a way of passing something along
negotiating through diplomatic channels
5
: a group of frequencies close enough in value for a single radio or television communication
6
: a closed passage through which something flows
7
: a long gutter, groove, or track
channel
2 of 2 verb
channeled or channelled; channeling or channelling
1
: to form a channel in
2
: to direct into or through a channel
Medical Definition
channel
noun
chan·nel
ˈchan-ᵊl
1
: a usually tubular enclosed passage
2
a
: a passage created in a selectively permeable membrane by a conformational change in membrane proteins see ion channel
b
: a protein or cluster of proteins that functions as a channel see calcium channel blocker
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