canal

American  

[kuh-nal] / kəˈnæl /

noun

canals plural

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.

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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

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verb

1. to dig a canal through

2. to provide with a canal or canals

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• canals
  plural

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

See Examples For:

canal canals canaled canalled canalling

Known as oto-acoustic emissions, these sounds can be detected by placing a sensitive microphone inside the ear canal.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

Roosevelt made the construction of the canal, which he considered “by far the most important action I took in foreign affairs,” a priority in both his terms as president.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

The park and its surroundings exploded into a collective cheer that tickled my rib cage and resonated deep in my ear canal to the point I had to cover my ears.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 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 moon floats in the heavens and in the waters of the canal.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

By contrast, canals such as Panama or Suez, which are man‑made waterways, may be subject to tolls levied by the states that control them.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

"We understand people want to make the most of the warm weather, but we would urge everyone to stay safe and avoid entering reservoirs, rivers, canals or ponds," he said.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

Cities and towns will also get more from the federal canals that are part of the Central Valley Project.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026

Researchers caution that this does not mean root canals are a treatment for diabetes.

From Science Daily ● May 16, 2026

His little boat, and all that force of water...Calm rivers and still backwaters and shallow canals were one thing.

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman

The warmth at his heart annulled whatever of chill stole in at the grayness of the canaled streets of the northern city after the color and glow of Porto.

From Dreamers of the Ghetto by Zangwill, Israel

Hindu temples, for the many Guyanese descended from laborers from the Indian subcontinent, dot Georgetown’s canalled streets.

From New York Times ● May 9, 2010

And he should never be blocked in: he should at most be canalled.

From The Invisible Censor by Hackett, Francis

The stern part was taken down the long upper level by a small tug, but teams were employed in towing for all the remaining portions of the canalling.

From A Century of Sail and Steam on the Niagara River by Cumberland, Barlow

Those of the latter are more generally found about our large towns and cities, and along the lines of canalling.

From A New Guide for Emigrants to the West by Peck, John Mason

Indeed, I never can believe I am at sea at all, on the Atlantic, the passages between New-York and Portsmouth being little more than so much canalling along a tow-path.

From Home as Found by Cooper, James Fenimore

It consists of canalling, improving river navigation, rail-roads, and common turnpike roads.

From A New Guide for Emigrants to the West by Peck, John Mason

When I got old enough, and had money enough, I was determined to go west and seek my fortune; for I always felt that canalling was, somehow, beneath what I wanted to do and become.

From Vandemark's Folly by Quick, Herbert