canal

1 of 2

noun

ca·​nal kə-ˈnal 

1

: a tubular anatomical passage or channel : duct

2

: channel, watercourse

3

: an artificial waterway for navigation or for draining or irrigating land

4

: any of various faint narrow lines on the planet Mars seen through telescopes and once thought by some to be canals built by Martians

canal

2 of 2

verb

canalled or canaled; canalling or canaling

transitive verb

: to construct a canal through or across

Synonyms of canal

Noun

• aqueduct
• waterway

Examples of canal in a Sentence

Noun

the Panama Canal opened a much easier and shorter passageway from the Atlantic to the Pacific

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The festival is held annually to celebrate the end of an outbreak of the plague in 1576 and is attended by thousands of people in boats and on the city’s canals, culminating in a fireworks show over the city. — Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 18 July 2026

Hooking a Giant That morning was still as my kayak cut through the hydrilla and into a canal. — Kristine Fischer, Outdoor Life, 16 July 2026

Opened in 2011, the viaduct crosses numerous rivers, irrigation canals, highways, and railway lines while supporting trains traveling at up to 350 km/h. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026

Meanwhile, the governor of Russia’s Rostov region, Yuri Slyusar, said a tanker had been damaged in a drone attack in the Azov-Black Sea maritime canal. — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Latin canalis pipe, channel, from canna reed — more at cane

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1792, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing canal

• alimentary canal
• birth canal
• ear canal
• Haversian canal
• resin canal
• root canal
• semicircular canal
• spinal canal
• stone canal
• vertebral canal

Rhymes for canal

• chorale
• corral
• locale
• morale
• royale
• artisanal
• bal
• dal
• gal
• mal
• pal
• sal

Kids Definition

canal

noun

ca·​nal

kə-ˈnal

1

: a tube-shaped bodily passage or channel : duct

2

: an artificial waterway for boats or for draining or irrigating land

3

: any of various faint narrow lines on the planet Mars seen through telescopes and formerly thought to be canals built by Martians

Medical Definition

canal

noun

ca·​nal kə-ˈnal 

: a tubular anatomical passage or channel : duct see alimentary canal, Haversian canal, inguinal canal