channel

[ chan-l ]

/ ˈtʃæn l /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR channel ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the bed of a stream, river, or other waterway.

Nautical. a navigable route between two bodies of water.

the deeper part of a waterway.

a wide strait, as between a continent and an island.

a course into which something may be directed: He hoped to direct the conversation to a new channel.

a route through which anything passes or progresses: channels of trade.

channels, the specific, prescribed, or official course or means of communication: In an emergency he was able to reach the governor without going through channels.

a groove or furrow.

a means of access: He considers the Senate a channel to the White House.

Architecture.

a flute in a column, especially one having no fillet between it and other flutes.
any of the prominent vertical grooves in a triglyph.

(in jazz or popular music) a bridge.

a frequency band of sufficient width for one- or two-way communication from or to a transmitter used for television, radio, CB radio, telephone, or telegraph communication.

Computers. a path for the transfer of signals or data within a computer or between a computer and its peripheral equipment.

Digital Technology.

feed(def 23): Learn how to create your own web channel.
a web page or website that distributes frequently updated content by means of a feed: Subscribe to my YouTube channel.

either of the two signals in stereophonic or any single signal in multichannel sound recording and reproduction.

Cell Biology. a transient opening made by a protein embedded in a cell membrane, permitting passage of specific ions or molecules into or out of the cell: calcium channel.

a tubular passage for liquids or fluids.

Building Trades.

any structural member, as one of reinforced concrete, having the form of three sides of a rectangle.
a number of such members: channel in 100-foot lengths.
channel iron.

verb (used with object), chan·neled, chan·nel·ing or (especially British) chan·nelled, chan·nel·ling.

to convey through or as through a channel: He channeled the information to us.

to direct toward or into some particular course: to channel one's interests.

to excavate as a channel.

to form a channel in; groove.

verb (used without object), chan·neled, chan·nel·ing or (especially British) chan·nelled, chan·nel·ling.

to become marked by a channel: Soft earth has a tendency to channel during a heavy rain.

Nearby words

Origin of channel

1250–1300; Middle English chanel < Old French < Latin canālis waterpipe; see canal

SYNONYMS FOR channel

8. trough, gash, cut. 19. route, direct, steer.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR channel ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

chan·nel·er; especially British, chan·nel·ler, nounmul·ti·chan·neled, adjectivemul·ti·chan·nelled, adjectivenon·chan·neled, adjective

un·chan·neled, adjectiveun·chan·nelled, adjective

Can be confusedChanel channel charnel

channel

or chain wale, chain-wale

[ chan-l ]

/ ˈtʃæn l /

noun

a horizontal timber or ledge built outboard from the side of a sailing vessel to spread shrouds and backstays outward.

Origin of channel

First recorded in 1760–70; variant of chain wale

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for channel

They get $8 million to dredge the channel for pleasure boats to sail to Catalina Island.
Congress’ Gift That Keeps on Giving|P. J. O’Rourke|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It cropped up on a Kurdish channel and on a local German channel.
Dutch Biker Gangs Vs. ISIS|Nadette De Visser, Christopher Dickey|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The official Russian state newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta republished the images along with Channel 1's report.
Digital Doublethink: Playing Truth or Dare with Putin, Assad and ISIS|Christopher Dickey, Anna Nemtsova|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Internet news agency slon.ru compiled a list of all the mistakes in the broadcast by Channel 1.
Digital Doublethink: Playing Truth or Dare with Putin, Assad and ISIS|Christopher Dickey, Anna Nemtsova|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Archaeologists have an uncanny ability to ignore the discomforts and channel the time period and the people they're studying.
The Real-Life Raiders of the Lost Ark|Alex Belth|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That night, after telegraphing the consul at Gibraltar of his coming, he crossed the channel.
The Wreck of the Titan|Morgan Robertson
He had been several times on the very point of making a personal attempt to repair his failing fortunes beyond the Channel.
Owen Glyndwr and the Last Struggle for Welsh Independence|Arthur Granville Bradley
This caution was ignored by the "Fire Canoe's" captain, who ran his boat down into the channel that we had broken.
Old Times on the Upper Mississippi|George Byron Merrick
The water in this channel was of a clear green colour, and decidedly salt.
Narrative of a Journey to the Shores of the Polar Sea, in the years 1819-20-21-22, Volume 2|John Franklin
Had the English known the channel, this might have been a more easy task than it was likely to prove.
The Three Midshipmen|W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for channel

channel

/ (ˈtʃænəl) /

noun

a broad strait connecting two areas of sea

the bed or course of a river, stream, or canal

a navigable course through a body of water

(often plural) a means or agency of access, communication, etcto go through official channels

a course into which something can be directed or moveda new channel of thought

electronics

a band of radio frequencies assigned for a particular purpose, esp the broadcasting of a television signal
a path for an electromagnetic signala stereo set has two channels
a thin semiconductor layer between the source and drain of a field-effect transistor, the conductance of which is controlled by the gate voltage

a tubular or trough-shaped passage for fluids

a groove or flute, as in the shaft of a column

computing

a path along which data can be transmitted between a central processing unit and one or more peripheral devices
one of the lines along the length of a paper tape on which information can be stored in the form of punched holes

short for channel iron

verb -nels, -nelling or -nelled or US -nels, -neling or -neled

to provide or be provided with a channel or channels; make or cut channels in (something)

(tr) to guide into or convey through a channel or channelsinformation was channelled through to them

to serve as a medium through whom the spirit of (a person of a former age) allegedly communicates with the living

(tr) to exhibit the traits of (another person) in one’s actions

(tr) to form a groove or flute in (a column, etc)

Derived Formschanneller, noun

Word Origin for channel

C13: from Old French chanel, from Latin canālis pipe, groove, conduit; see canal

noun

nautical a flat timber or metal ledge projecting from the hull of a vessel above the chainplates to increase the angle of the shrouds

Word Origin for channel

C18: variant of earlier chainwale; see chain, wale 1 (planking)

Channel

/ (ˈtʃænəl) /

noun

the Channel short for English Channel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for channel

channel

early 14c., "bed of running water," from Old French chanel "bed of a waterway; tube, pipe, gutter," from Latin canalis "groove, channel, waterpipe" (see canal). Given a broader, figurative sense 1530s (of information, commerce, etc.); meaning "circuit for telegraph communication" (1848) probably led to that of "band of frequency for radio or TV signals" (1928). The Channel Islands are the French Îles Anglo-Normandes.

channel

1590s, "to wear channels in," from channel (n.). Meaning "convey in a channel" is from 1640s. Related: Channeled; channeling.

Science definitions for channel

channel

[ chăn′əl ]

A specified frequency band for the transmission and reception of electromagnetic signals, as for television signals.

The part of a field effect transistor, usually U-shaped, through which current flows from the source to the drain. See more at field effect transistor.

A pathway through a protein molecule in a cell membrane that modulates the electrical potential across the membrane by controlling the passage of small inorganic ions into and out of the cell.

The bed or deepest part of a river or harbor.

A large strait, especially one that connects two seas.

Idioms and Phrases with channel

channel

In addition to the idiom beginning with channel

channel surfing

also see:

go through channels

channel

noun

verb (used with object), chan·neled, chan·nel·ing or (especially British) chan·nelled, chan·nel·ling.

verb (used without object), chan·neled, chan·nel·ing or (especially British) chan·nelled, chan·nel·ling.

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Nearby words

Origin of channel

channel

or chain wale, chain-wale

noun

Origin of channel

Examples from the Web for channel

channel

noun

verb -nels, -nelling or -nelled or US -nels, -neling or -neled

Word Origin for channel

noun

Word Origin for channel

Channel

noun

channel

channel

channel

channel