as in canals
an open man-made passageway for water
the Erie Canal was superseded by a much larger waterway, the New York State Barge Canal
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Recent Examples of waterways
British plans for a canal system through the Lowcountry were ambitious, and New Cut was only one of dozens of hand-dug waterways.
—
Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
The nutria has been a highly destructive rodent that poses a threat to the state’s agriculture and waterways.
—Samantha Lee, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
This flexibility enables the system to support amphibious operations and specialized missions along Ukraine’s coastlines and inland waterways.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026
Bungalows and rooms are built around lush vegetation and tranquil waterways, plus the hotel boasts its own private beach as well as a glittering pool.
—Sarah Souli, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2026
The strait is one of three major waterways that allow shipping/passage of natural gas and petroleum exports from the Persian Gulf to Europe and North America.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026
Life jackets Life jackets are strongly recommended when recreating in or near waterways.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 7 Apr. 2026
As the waterways are taken over by this single plant species, less and less habitat is available for our native wildlife to nest, eat, and breed.
—Peg Aloi, The Spruce, 5 Apr. 2026
Over time, these nutrients move through storm systems and waterways into larger bodies of water such as lakes and ponds.
—Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2026
Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
The nutria has been a highly destructive rodent that poses a threat to the state’s agriculture and waterways.
—Samantha Lee, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
This flexibility enables the system to support amphibious operations and specialized missions along Ukraine’s coastlines and inland waterways.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026
Bungalows and rooms are built around lush vegetation and tranquil waterways, plus the hotel boasts its own private beach as well as a glittering pool.
—Sarah Souli, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2026
The strait is one of three major waterways that allow shipping/passage of natural gas and petroleum exports from the Persian Gulf to Europe and North America.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026
Life jackets Life jackets are strongly recommended when recreating in or near waterways.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 7 Apr. 2026
As the waterways are taken over by this single plant species, less and less habitat is available for our native wildlife to nest, eat, and breed.
—Peg Aloi, The Spruce, 5 Apr. 2026
Over time, these nutrients move through storm systems and waterways into larger bodies of water such as lakes and ponds.
—Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waterways
Noun
-
Villas and suites are decorated with ornate teak and rattan furnishings, and come with private pools and views overlooking tropical gardens, canals, and mountains.—
Asia London Palomba,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Apr. 2026
-
These individuals shaped Charleston’s politics and economy by building canals, roads, bridges, forts— virtually all the colony’s infrastructure—but their contributions were not documented and their names are unknown.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Picnic in the shadow of ancient aqueducts.—
Laura Itzkowitz,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Students learn how their water travels from the Sierra Nevada through reservoirs, pipes and aqueducts to finally end up in their homes.—
Molly McCrea,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waterways.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waterways. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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