channel

1 an open man-made passageway for water water was drained from the swamp through a specially constructed channel Synonyms aqueduct, canal, conduit, course, flume, racecourse, raceway, watercourse, waterway Related Words millrace, millstream; floodway, sluice, sluiceway, spillway; swash, tideway, torrent; gutter, trough; river, rivulet, stream

2 a narrow body of water between two land masses the world record for swimming the channel between France and Great Britain Synonyms narrows, neck, sound, strait Related Words arm, bay, gulf, inlet; roads, roadstead; reach, stretch

3 a direct way of passing along information or supplies you need to make arrangements through the proper channels Synonyms pipelineRelated Words avenue, conduit, route; grapevine, outlet; fountainhead, origin, source, wellspring; supplier; connection, contact

4 a long hollow cylinder for carrying a substance (as a liquid or gas) had to replace the main water channel Synonyms pipe, conduit, duct, leader, line, penstock, trough, tubeRelated Words drain, drainpipe, funnel, hydrant, main, smokestack, spout, standpipe, stovepipe, tile, waste pipe, waterspout; pipage (or pipeage), pipeline, piping

5 a person who claims to speak with or for the spirits of the dead the channel went into a trance and began speaking in what was purported to be the voice of the deceased woman Synonyms channeler, medium, psychic, spiritist, spiritualistRelated Words clairvoyant; mentalist, mind reader, telepath; sensitive