English Channel

American  

noun

1. an arm of the Atlantic Ocean between southern England and northern France, connected with the North Sea by the Strait of Dover. 350 miles (565 kilometers) long; 20–100 miles (32–160 kilometers) wide.

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English Channel British  

noun

1. French name: La Manche.  an arm of the Atlantic Ocean between S England and N France, linked with the North Sea by the Strait of Dover. Length: about 560 km (350 miles). Width: between 32 km (20 miles) and 161 km (100 miles)

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English Channel Cultural  

1. Arm of the Atlantic Ocean between France and Britain.

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Discover More

A tunnel under the channel connects England and France via auto-carrying train service.

Its cold, choppy waters have been a popular challenge for long-distance swimmers.

A formation of high bluffs on the British side of the English Channel is known as the White Cliffs of Dover.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

English Channel

The flight time was planned to be less than three days, but the voyage fell behind schedule because of a storm in the English Channel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

A teenager who piloted a dinghy carrying a then-record 165 migrants across the English Channel to the UK has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Between 1 January and 14 September 2026, a total of 17,425 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Fourteen suspected people smugglers have gone on trial in Paris for their role in the worst ever small boats disaster in the English Channel.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Across the English Channel, shortly after the Mona Lisa disappeared from the Louvre, a man walked into the Duveen Brothers gallery in London.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day