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

Noun

• aqueduct
• channel
• conduit
• course
• flume
• racecourse
• raceway
• watercourse
• 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 United States is the canal's largest user, with about 70% of shipping traffic going through the canal either coming to or from the U.S. —CBS News, 4 Mar. 2025

That project should add make room for 11 to 13 more daily transits through the canal. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 4 Mar. 2025

The gray Hyundai hit the truck then drove off the road onto a grassy area, turned over and landed in the canal, Camacho said. —David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2025

The government held 60th birthday celebrations, which included skaters holding aloft a giant flag down a 19th-century canal in Ottawa that doubles as a giant ice skating rink during the winter. —Ian Austen, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025

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
• ghazal
• locale
• morale
• royale
• 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