canalize

verb

ˈka-nə-ˌlīz How to pronounce canalize (audio)
Definition of canalizenext
as in to direct
to cause to move to a central point or along a restricted pathway the director of the charity should be canalizing the flow of donations so that the money ends up where it is most needed

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 canalize Some became conscious of the role a state could play in intervening in the economy in order to curb and canalize democracy. — Zeev Sternhell, Slate Magazine, 7 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canalize
  1. direct
  2. channel
  3. channelize
  4. funnel
  5. pipe
  6. carry
  7. conduct
Verb
  • Details of the arrangement are unclear, but the City Commission directed the city administration earlier this year to negotiate a new five-year license agreement with Untitled.
    — Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026
  • The complaint alleges Martinez then directed her to leave the courtroom and threatened to hold her in contempt or jail her.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 29 July 2026
Definition of direct
Verb
  • The proposal calls for the creation of a stabilization fund that would work as a safety net and would channel money from external resources and revenue from sales of state assets toward protecting the population during the transition.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
  • Who better to grill Sessa on channeling Bourdain than the latter's longtime collaborator, NYT best-selling author Laurie Woolever?
    — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 July 2026
Definition of channel
Verb
  • The Don River flowing through Toronto into Lake Ontario had been channelized, encased in concrete, and diverted nearly at a right angle to output at a different location.
    — Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 3 June 2026
  • Upstream from Upper Klamath Lake, a key tributary was channelized and wetlands drained, resulting in massive amounts of phosphorus flowing into the Upper Klamath Lake and, eventually, the lower river.
    — Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 29 Dec. 2025
Definition of channelize
Verb
  • This year, the ticket tax funneled $4 million back into Moda, which helped offset the team’s $10 million scoreboard upgrade last summer.
    — Esfandiar Baraheni, New York Times, 30 July 2026
  • Back in April, for example, the zombie site published an article about how, through companies like LexisNexis and Verisk Analytics, automakers quietly funnel driving data to insurance companies.
    — Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 30 July 2026
Definition of funnel
Verb
  • So the market got creative and piped around 7 million barrels of oil per day to the Red Sea that would normally have been destined for the Persian Gulf, according to JPMorgan.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
  • These tiny cones are lined with rich chocolate and piped full of creamy chocolate ice cream.
    — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 22 July 2026
Definition of pipe
Verb
  • That was part of his wider goal of sending endless waves of bomb-carrying drones and robots to hit Russian encampments in a bid to sharply reduce Ukraine’s casualties.
    — Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • The port of entry handled $126 billion in trade carried by commercial trucks in 2023, Reuters reported.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of carry
Verb
  • That forecast moved 13 years earlier than a similar survey conducted one year before.
    — Robert J. Szczerba, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • The historical society is conducting an active investigation into what happened, a spokesperson tells CNN.
    — Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 27 July 2026
Definition of conduct

Browse Nearby Words

canal
canalize
canalized
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Cite this Entry

“Canalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canalize. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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