quay
noun
a landing place, especially one of solid masonry, constructed along the edge of a body of water; wharf.
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Nuaym.
quay
1 American
[kee, key, kwey]
/ ki, keɪ, kweɪ /
noun
-
quays
plural
Quay
2
American
[kwey]
/ kweɪ /
noun
quay
British
/ kiː /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of quay
1690–1700; spelling variant (after French quai ) of earlier kay (also key, whence the modern pronunciation) < Old French kay, cay; akin to Spanish cayo shoal. See key 2
Explanation
You know that wharf on the bank of the river where all the boats park? It's not an aqua parking lot. It's called a quay. When you visit France and take a walk beside the wharves where boats dock and unload passengers, you can say you've been strolling along the quays of the Seine. The English spelling of this word was originally key, and that's one way to pronounce it even today, an alternative to "qway." Quay comes from the Old North French cai, "sand bank."
Vocabulary lists containing quay
Seas The Day: Words That Shore Are Beachy
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40 SAT words Beginning with "Q"
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The Stranger
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
AFP journalists at Granadilla saw white tents erected along the quay and that the police, some in protective medical suits, had sealed off part of the small industrial port.
From Barron's ● May 10, 2026
Its rigorous order and deep perspective, enhanced by the receding lines of ship masts and rail tracks along the expansive quay, address his motif in a style apropos of its modern subject.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026
The “Turenges” took a room in a hotel overlooking the harbor and discovered, to their surprise, an unguarded entrance that allowed them to observe the quay itself.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2025
The terminal operator International Transportation Service plans to fill in a 19-acre area of water and extend the existing quay by 560 feet, which would allow larger ships to dock at the port.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2025
We came along past the chained boats in the slips along the quay to where the barman’s boat should be.
From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
"Both casualties were brought ashore at New Quay's main pier, in Ceredigion, and handed into the care of the Welsh Ambulance Service, before being transferred to hospital," New Quay lifeboat station said.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
It includes plans for 33 apartments within three-and-a-half storey buildings and the demolition of the existing building to the east of Rodger's Quay.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
A councillor has raised the prospect of the ongoing Custom House Quay and Carlton Place project - which aims to regenerate the local waterfront - allowing river travel to be possible.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
He doesn’t even know how to treat the cops who are his new guards, amusingly portrayed as a comedy-act trio who finish one another’s sentences by Ethan Dubin, Katie Kreisler and Dave Quay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
Working in the city, I keep my eyes open for Alice, especially if I’m near the Quay or the Cross.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
Boats can dock at wharfs, quays and piers protected by the reef's natural lagoon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2025
The wide wakes of tourist boats slap at the quays.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2024
Currently the 26 July ceremony is supposed to take place on boats in the river Seine, with more than 300,000 people watching from the quays.
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2024
Similar scenes play out along local quays and public parks.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 23, 2023
The captain of Dragonsbane had driven her between two quays, ripping out her bottom; her crew poured ashore with the archers and men-at-arms to join the assault on the walls.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
