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

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 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
Verb
  • The music video, which shows a frustrated Camilo looking for answers in an office space, was directed by Evaluna Montaner and Sebastian Andrade at his own El Taller Creativo in Miami.
    Luisa Calle, Billboard, 27 June 2025
  • It is directed by Paola Randi, who co-wrote it with Salvatore De Mola and Andrea Valagussa.
    John Bleasdale, Variety, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • As the co-chairman continues to push the need to channel that inner 10-year-old, the episode switches to home movie footage of the players as kids, interspersed with match action from the game against Charlton.
    Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 27 June 2025
  • Ministers will argue that, with tax relief to private pension contributions costing £46.8 billion in 2022-23, the latest year for which figures are available, they are entitled to ask for more pension savings to be channelled toward the U.K. economy.
    Ian King, CNBC, 25 June 2025
Verb
  • Those changes include channelizing the bay in some places and transforming it into dunes and marshland in others.
    David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Apr. 2025
  • The statement is in effect until 8 p.m. Caught in a rip: How to stay safe Rip currents are channelized currents of water flowing away from shore at surf beaches.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • But the Republican candidate in 2023 was charged with 43 counts of wire fraud and misusing campaign funds, funneling tens of thousands of dollars for his personal use through his mother and a close friend.
    Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2025
  • And luckily, the Gallardo’s mediocre single-clutch paddle-shift gearbox wasn’t in the mix; a traditional torque converter automatic with six forward speeds was the only way to funnel power to the four wheels.
    Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 24 June 2025
Verb
  • At the start of Act Two - around 9 p.m. on performance evenings - composer Andrew Lloyd Weber's music is piped outside the theater into London's narrow Argyll Street.
    Lauren Frayer, NPR, 26 June 2025
  • Besides piping plovers, there are two others on the federal list.
    Jan Ellen Spiegel, Hartford Courant, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • One charge carries a mandatory minimum of five years in prison.
    David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 23 June 2025
  • The surprise vote, and ensuing ceasefire, puts in sharp relief the global importance of the narrow strait between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, which carries 20% of global oil production.
    Nino Paoli, Fortune, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • Research conducted for exhibits on Nolde in Frankfurt in 2014 and in Berlin in 2019 revealed the artist’s true relationship to Nazism to the wider public.
    Ombline Damy, JSTOR Daily, 26 June 2025
  • However, diverse actions over decades have often been conducted in coordination with Iran–and many would not have happened without Iranian support.
    Jill Goldenziel, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Canalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canalize. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!