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
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."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At the port of Granadilla de Abona early Sunday morning, AFP journalists saw white tents had been sent up along the quay and the police had secured part of the 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
The quay was largely deserted, boats stowed for the night, except for a cluster of men on the quayside, drinking coffee from a thermos.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
On the DLR there will be no service between Bank and Tower Gateway and from Poplar to West India Quay between Good Friday and 8 April.
From BBC ● Apr. 2, 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
He was a security guard based at South Quay Docklands at the time of the explosion in February 1996, which blew him off his feet and perforated his ear drums.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026
A spokesperson for Mermaid Quay confirmed it was exploring the possibility of a new plaque for Ianto once maintenance work had been completed.
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026
One telegram is addressed to Mrs. Clohessy of Arthur’s Quay and that couldn’t be anyone but Paddy’s mother.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
By now the news of their arrival had reached the town, and the quays were lined with people cheering in amazement at the return of the Corps of Discovery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
The wide wakes of tourist boats slap at the quays.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2024
In the nearby town of Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, trees had crashed onto quays and into the picturesque marina, and several boats were damaged.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 16, 2024
The company employed lightermen - workers who used flat-bottomed barges to move goods between ships and quays - and they would pull up to collect their wages from 41 Rotherhithe Street.
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 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.
