plural channels
1
: a television or radio station
The TV program airs at 8:00 p.m. on Channel 5.
Change the channel, please.
What is your favorite radio channel?
a movie/news/sports channel
2
a
: a system used for sending something (such as information or supplies) from one place or person to another
E-mail is a channel of communication.
—often pluralTo make a complaint, you will need to go through (the) official/proper channels.
the ordinary channels of trade
the army's distribution/supply channels
b
: a way of expressing your ideas, feelings, etc., to other people
Art provides a channel for creativity.
Music became a channel for her emotions.
3
: a path, tube, or long narrow place where water flows
A system of irrigation channels brings water to the fields.
4
: a deep part of a river, harbor, or other body of water where ships can go
a narrow channel of the Mississippi River
5
: a narrow area of the sea between two large areas of land that are close together
We took a ferryboat across the English Channel to France.
channels; US channeled or British channelled; US channeling or British channelling
1
: to express (your ideas, thoughts, feelings, energy, etc.) through a particular behavior or action
She's started channeling her anger towards me.
—often + intoHis aggression was channeled into playing football.
Actors learn how to channel their own emotions into their characters.
2
: to send (food, money, etc.) to someone or something
He channeled millions of dollars into/to the program.
—often + throughFood, clothes, and money were channeled through churches to the poor people of the village.
3
: to carry and move (something, such as water) in or through a tube, passage, etc.
Their irrigation system channels water to the cornfields.
4
: to allow (the spirit of a dead person) to enter your body in order to talk with living people
She said that she was channeling my father and that he had a message for me.
Cite this Entry
“Channel.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/channel. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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