wharf

noun

ˈ(h)wȯrf 

plural wharves ˈ(h)wȯrvz  also wharfs

1

: a structure built along or at an angle from the shore of navigable waters so that ships may lie alongside to receive and discharge cargo and passengers

2

obsolete : the bank of a river or the shore of the sea

Synonyms of wharf

• dock
• pier
• quay

Examples of wharf in a Sentence

tied the rowboat up at the wharf

Recent Examples on the Web

After that comes Monterey, in April, with its big annual celebration full of science and wharf fun. —John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026

Mike Godsy, the city's superintendent of parks, said the additional structure is expected to help strengthen the rest of the wharf. —John Ramos, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026

Sprawling across less than 50 square miles on a peninsula, the city is packed with Victorian homes lining steep streets, buzzing with cable cars that zip between downtown and the wharf. —Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 15 Feb. 2026

The wharves and warehouses along Pratt Street burned fiercely. —Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English hwearf embankment, wharf; akin to Old English hweorfan to turn, Old High German hwerban, Greek karpos wrist

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for wharf

• dwarf
• morph
• orf
• polymorph

Kids Definition

wharf

noun

ˈhwȯrf 

ˈwȯrf

plural wharves ˈhwȯrvz 

ˈwȯrvz

also wharfs

: a structure built on the shore at which ships can load and unload