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• quay
  quay

  noun

  a landing place, especially one of solid masonry, constructed along the edge of a body of water; wharf.
• Quay
  Quay

  noun

  Matthew Stanley, 1833–1904, U.S. politician: senator 1887–99, 1901–4.

quay

¹ American  

[kee, kay, kway] / ki, keɪ, kweɪ /

noun

• quays
  plural

1. 

   a landing place, especially one of solid masonry, constructed along the edge of a body of water; wharf.

   Synonyms:

   levee, landing, dock, pier

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Quay ² American  

[kway] / kweɪ /

noun

1. Matthew Stanley, 1833–1904, U.S. politician: senator 1887–99, 1901–4.

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quay British  

/ kiː /

noun

1. a wharf, typically one built parallel to the shoreline Compare pier

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• quaylike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• quays
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of quay

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

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Explanation

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

quay Quay quays

"There was a queue along the quay," he said, while many businesses had ordered glasses which would now "failed to arrive on time".

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

AFP journalists at Granadilla saw white tents erected along the quay and that the police, some in protective medical suits, had sealed off part of the small industrial 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

Lefty, newly moneyed and befezzed, makes his way through the maroon-capped crowd at the quay.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

In 2021, the star staked out an East Coast perch, picking up a Brooklyn waterfront condo in the stunning Quay building, the New York Post reported.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

It includes plans for 33 apartments within three-and-a-half storey buildings and the demolition of the existing building to the east of Rodger's Quay.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026

A riverside path runs from the Dock Park out to Kingholm Quay.

From BBC ● May 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

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

The strange-looking vessel had a deck that could be raised or lowered by winches to the level of the quays depending on the height of the tide.

From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2023

Similar scenes play out along local quays and public parks.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 23, 2023

He turned away, and went striding up the street away from the quays.

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin

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