Panama Canal

American  

noun

1. a canal extending southeast from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean across the Isthmus of Panama. 40 miles (64 kilometers) long.

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Panama Canal British  

noun

1. a canal across the Isthmus of Panama, linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans: extends from Colón on the Caribbean Sea southeast to Balboa on the Gulf of Panama; built by the US (1904–14), after an unsuccessful previous attempt (1880–89) by the French under de Lesseps. Length: 64 km (40 miles)

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Panama Canal Cultural  

1. Waterway across the Isthmus of Panama. The canal connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The United States built it from 1904 to 1914 on territory leased from Panama.

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Conflict between the United States and Panama has centered on control of the canal; a treaty was signed in 1977 returning control of the Canal Zone to Panama in 2000. Since that time, Panama has agreed to neutral operation of the canal.

Example Sentences

Some of the tankers transiting the Panama Canal are carrying crude oil, but others are carrying gasoline and other crude distillates from the U.S.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

Five percent of global maritime trade passes through the Panama Canal, and its main users are the US and China.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

Unlike cargo moving from the Atlantic Basin or the Middle East, Alaska LNG doesn’t transit through the Panama Canal and thus doesn’t face canal congestion, water-level restrictions or geopolitical turmoil during passage.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

Hong Kong has formally complained to the government of Panama after it took control of two ports on the Panama Canal.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

The Panama Canal client came in at four-thirty.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith