canal

American  

[kuh-nal] / kəˈnæl /

noun

1. an artificial waterway for navigation, irrigation, etc.

2. a long narrow arm of the sea penetrating far inland.

3. a tubular passage or cavity for food, air, etc., especially in an animal or plant; a duct.

4. channel; watercourse.

5. Astronomy. one of the long, narrow, dark lines on the surface of the planet Mars, as seen telescopically from the earth.

---

verb (used with object)

canalled, canaled, canalling, canaling

1. to make a canal through.

canal British  

/ kəˈnæl /

noun

1. an artificial waterway constructed for navigation, irrigation, water power, etc

2. any of various tubular passages or ducts

   the alimentary canal

3. any of various elongated intercellular spaces in plants

4. astronomy any of the indistinct surface features of Mars originally thought to be a network of channels but not seen on close-range photographs. They are caused by an optical illusion in which faint geological features appear to have a geometric structure

---

verb

1. to dig a canal through

2. to provide with a canal or canals

Etymology

Origin of canal

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English: “waterpipe, tubular passage,” from Latin canālis, perhaps equivalent to can(na) “reed, pipe” ( see cane) + -ālis -al ¹; canal def. 5 a mistranslation of Italian canali “channels,” the term used by G. V. Schiaparelli

Explanation

A canal is a long, man-made strip of water used for irrigation or boat access to a bigger body of water, like the famous Erie Canal, which connects the Hudson River to Lake Erie. Canal is related to the word channel, and all its different shades of meaning have to do with tunnel shaped spaces that carry liquid from one place to another. Besides man-made irrigation canals, canals that connect boat docks to rivers and oceans, or street-like canals in boat cities like Amsterdam, there are canals in your body, like your nasal canal, or the birth canal you came out of. It's also a verb meaning "to dig a canal."

Example Sentences

In all, current plans for Venice Dell include 120 units , commercial space and parking garages to replace beach parking and provide spots for residents, all bisected by a canal.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

Around 1,500 pro-Palestine marchers walked along a canal towpath from Lurgan to Newry on Saturday morning.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

Recent studies found that people who underwent root canal treatment for chronic infections at the tip of the tooth root experienced lower blood sugar levels and reduced inflammation over the next two years.

From Science Daily • May 16, 2026

Daily transits rose 24% to an average of 39 daily crossings in April from 34 in January, canal authorities said.

From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026

At last the lorries were on the move and turned into the biggest field, immediately south of the canal.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan