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

• dock
• float
• jetty
• landing
• levee
• pier
• quai
• quay

Examples of wharf in a Sentence

tied the rowboat up at the wharf

Recent Examples on the Web

About 150 feet along the end of the wharf was washed away last month during dangerous high surf from a series of atmospheric river events that battered Northern California, Oregon and Washington. —Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2025

The 110-year-old, 2,745-foot wharf is said to be the longest fully wooden wharf in the Western Hemisphere. —Stephanie Lam, The Mercury News, 4 Jan. 2025

California also saw record-setting flooding before the holidays after more than a foot of rain fell on parts of northern California, and forecasters issued a first-ever tornado warning for San Francisco, while rough seas tore down part of a wharf in Santa Cruz. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 1 Jan. 2025

Part of the Santa Cruz, Calif., wharf collapsed Monday, sending three construction workers into the ocean. —Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 24 Dec. 2024

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

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