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
Verb
  • The statement also directed further questions to Baltimore County Public Schools regarding Omnilert, the AI gun detection software used at the school.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Actor Ha’s new film, The People Upstairs, a remake of the 2020 Spanish comedy by Cesc Gay, will compete in LEAFF’S main competition strand, which features eight titles from filmmakers who have directed four feature films or fewer.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 24 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
  • Now JetBlue passengers can even watch Banks explain how to channel your inner mixologist, no cocktail shaker required, in a funny new video streaming on the plane.
    Meredith Lepore, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • When work began, parts of the Creek had been fully channelized, other portions covered by development, others existing as nothing more than trash and weed choked trickles.
    Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2025
  • 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
Verb
  • In cognitive terms, constraints funnel the search away from dominant semantic pathways, encouraging more remote associations.
    Big Think, Big Think, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives has funneled some $500 million into other countries to subsidize Russian propaganda.
    Tetiana Kotelnykova, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The finished product is similar in flavor to cheese straws, just a little more hearty—and without all the fussing over mixing and piping pastry dough.
    Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Pipe melted candy melts along the length of the biscuit sticks to form tree trunks, and pipe more chocolate in wavy lines to form tree branches for spooky trees.
    Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • North also styled her hair in braids like Dionne and carried a small black leather handbag.
    Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2025
  • This year, a replica of the Seneca Chief, which carried Clinton in 1825, set out from Buffalo on the canal.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • China’s newest aircraft carrier may only be able to conduct air operations at about 60% the rate of a 50-year-old US Navy carrier, two former US carrier officers say, a substantial combat limitation for a vessel meant to revolutionize Beijing’s fleet.
    Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
  • In a statement shared on social media, the EPD confirmed that the investigation remains open and is being conducted by the Massachusetts State Police, the Everett Police Department and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
    Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Canalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canalize. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.

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