Suez Canal

American  

noun

1. a canal in NE Egypt, cutting across the Isthmus of Suez and connecting the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. 107 miles (172 km) long.

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Suez Canal British  

noun

1. a sea-level canal in NE Egypt, crossing the Isthmus of Suez and linking the Mediterranean with the Red Sea: built (1854–69) by de Lesseps with French and Egyptian capital; nationalized in 1956 by the Egyptians. Length: 163 km (101 miles)

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Suez Canal Cultural  

1. A canal connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas, completed in 1869 and long controlled by Great Britain. The opera Aïda by Giuseppe Verdi was written to honor the opening of the canal. (See Suez Canal crisis.)

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Suez Canal

The Suez Canal opened in 1869 but was closed from 1967 to 1975 following the Arab-Israeli war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

The Singapore-flagged Xin Long Yang and Liberia-flagged Rodos had loaded their oil at Saudi ports and were headed toward Bab al-Mandeb when they made U-turns and instead headed north toward the Suez Canal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Both companies have suspended shipping routes through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, the gateway to the canal, due to safety concerns related to the war and the volatile situation around Hormuz.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

The rerouting of shipping around South Africa and away from the Red Sea and Suez Canal since late 2023 has "substantially increased" the chances of ship strikes, they said in new research.

From Barron's ● May 11, 2026

The journey alone would take two weeks, sailing through the Bay of Biscay, past Gibraltar, across the Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, calling in at Aden and arriving finally at Mombasa.

From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl