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• channel
  channel

  noun

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

  noun

  short for English Channel

channel

¹ American  

[chan-l] / ˈtʃæn l /

noun

1. 

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

2. Nautical. a navigable route between two bodies of water.

3. the deeper part of a waterway.

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

5. a course into which something may be directed.

   He hoped to direct the conversation to a new channel.

6. a route through which anything passes or progresses.

   channels of trade.

7. 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.

8. a groove or furrow.

   Synonyms:

   cut, rut, groove, furrow, trough, trench

9. a means of access.

   He considers the Senate a channel to the White House.

10. Architecture.

    1. a flute in a column, especially one having no fillet between it and other flutes.

    2. any of the prominent vertical grooves in a triglyph.

11. (in jazz or popular music) a bridge.

12. Telecommunications. 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.

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

14. Digital Technology.

    1. feed.

       Learn how to create your own web channel.

    2. a web page or website that distributes frequently updated content by means of a feed.

       Subscribe to my YouTube channel.

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

16. 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.

17. a tubular passage for liquids or fluids.

18. Building Trades.

    1. any structural member, as one of reinforced concrete, having the form of three sides of a rectangle.

    2. a number of such members.

       channel in 100-foot lengths.

    3. channel iron.

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verb (used with object)

• channels,
  present (3rd person singular)
• channeled,
  past participle,  past
• channelled,
  past participle,  past (especially British)
• channeling,
  present participle
• channelling
  present participle (especially British)

1. to convey through or as through a channel.

   He channeled the information to us.

   Synonyms:

   focus, direct, concentrate, steer, route, conduct, pipe, funnel, transport, convey, carry

2. to direct toward or into some particular course.

   to channel one's interests.

3. to excavate as a channel.

4. to form a channel in; groove.

5. to professedly reach or convey messages from (a spiritual guide) by entering a meditative or trancelike state.

6. to imitate the ideas, appearance, etc., of (a person or thing that is admired).

   At times he seems to be channeling the late Michael Jackson’s vocal stylings.

verb (used without object)

• channels,
  present (3rd person singular)
• channeled,
  past participle,  past
• channelled,
  past participle,  past (especially British)
• channeling,
  present participle
• channelling
  present participle (especially British)

1. to become marked by a channel.

   Soft earth has a tendency to channel during a heavy rain.

channel ² American  

[chan-l] / ˈtʃæn l /

Also chain wale,

noun

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

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channel ¹ British  

/ ˈtʃænəl /

noun

1. a broad strait connecting two areas of sea

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

3. a navigable course through a body of water

4. (often plural) a means or agency of access, communication, etc

   to go through official channels

5. a course into which something can be directed or moved

   a new channel of thought

6. electronics

   1. a band of radio frequencies assigned for a particular purpose, esp the broadcasting of a television signal

   2. a path for an electromagnetic signal

      a stereo set has two channels

   3. a thin semiconductor layer between the source and drain of a field-effect transistor, the conductance of which is controlled by the gate voltage

7. a tubular or trough-shaped passage for fluids

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

9. computing

   1. a path along which data can be transmitted between a central processing unit and one or more peripheral devices

   2. one of the lines along the length of a paper tape on which information can be stored in the form of punched holes

10. short for channel iron

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verb

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

2. (tr) to guide into or convey through a channel or channels

   information was channelled through to them

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

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

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

Channel ² British  

/ ˈtʃænəl /

noun

1. short for English Channel

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channel ³ British  

/ ˈtʃænəl /

noun

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

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channel Scientific  

/ chăn′əl /

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

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

3. See more at field effect transistor

4. 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.

5. The bed or deepest part of a river or harbor.

6. A large strait, especially one that connects two seas.

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channel Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing channel

• go through channels

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• channeler
  noun
• channeller
  noun
• multichanneled
  adjective
• multichannelled
  adjective
• nonchanneled
  adjective
• unchanneled
  adjective
• unchannelled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• channeling
  present
• channelling
  present
• channeled
  past
• channelled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• channel
  simple
• channels
  simple
• have channeled
  perfect
• have channelled
  perfect
• has channeled
  perfect
• has channelled
  perfect
• am channeling
  progressive
• am channelling
  progressive
• are channeling
  progressive
• are channelling
  progressive
• is channeling
  progressive
• is channelling
  progressive
• have been channeling
  perfect progressive
• have been channelling
  perfect progressive
• has been channeling
  perfect progressive
• has been channelling
  perfect progressive

Past

• channeled
  simple
• channelled
  simple
• had channeled
  perfect
• had channelled
  perfect
• was channeling
  progressive
• was channelling
  progressive
• were channeling
  progressive
• were channelling
  progressive
• had been channeling
  perfect progressive
• had been channelling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will channel
  simple
• will have channeled
  perfect
• will have channelled
  perfect
• will be channeling
  progressive
• will be channelling
  progressive
• will have been channeling
  perfect progressive
• will have been channelling
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of channel¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English chanel, can(n)el, from Old French chanel, canel, from Latin canālis “waterpipe, conduit”; see canal

Origin of channel²

First recorded in 1760–70; variant of chain wale

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Explanation

A channel is a passageway, a means of access for a thing, a communication, or an idea. Think of a channel as sort of a tunnel or a funnel that moves something directly through. The noun channel can be used for many such avenues. It can mean a waterway such as the English Channel — the "Chunnel" is a tunnel beneath the Channel — or a means of accomplishing a goal, as in "going through legal channels." Use it as a verb when you channel your energies to achieve success.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

channel Channel channels channeled channelled channeling channelling

Vice President JD Vance used the pause in fighting to open a channel to an Iranian hard-liner in search of a deal, but Trump directed him to end the diplomacy and focus on domestic issues.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 15, 2026

Jack Bushrod reviews quirky property listings he finds on Rightmove for his social media channel, Housing Horrors, and says he has seen a "surge" of AI-enhanced images over the last six months.

From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026

Multiple voices on the channel then speculated that the outage was related to Thursday’s Microsoft Outlook outage, but the controller said he could not confirm the cause.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026

Michael Jackson made inroads with “Billie Jean,” but it took Whitney Houston for there to be a real breakthrough on the channel.

From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2026

The games would also be broadcast on many PBS stations, the Book Network cable channel, and NPR.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

In the footage, first broadcast by Australia's Channel Seven on Friday, Albanese and top climate envoy Chris Bowen chat on the sidelines of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey.

From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2026

The Times of London published its latest investigation into Brand three years after its initial exposé with Britain’s Channel 4 in September 2023 paved the way for criminal prosecution against the comedian and actor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026

Prior to the Journal, Josh worked at Newsweek, the Discovery Channel and in educational publishing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026

Brennan also raised concerns about security in the Mozambique Channel, which separates Mozambique and Madagascar from mainland Africa and is an important route for international shipping and trade.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026

The McCulloughs themselves, after much discussion with their lawyers, granted an exclusive interview to Channel 3.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

A new CEO at Nvidia must have a deft understanding of where technology trends are headed, moving in those channels and creating new ones as needed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026

“Colleagues engage through dedicated Teams channels to share progress, celebrate harvests, ask questions and encourage each other,” says Maria Walsh, senior vice president and head of global benefits at Hearst.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026

The service also offers shows or channels from such personalities as Trevor Noah, Kevin Hart, Stephen A. Smith, and former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026

Sir Tom does not communicate to individuals directly or personally via his social channels.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026

I guess we did get a lot of channels.

From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

Since her diagnosis, Applegate has spoken openly about her symptoms — including depression and “intense pain” — and channeled her experiences with the condition in a memoir, “You With the Sad Eyes.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

It was so much energy getting channeled into one big opting-out.

From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026

When he sat down to write "Insidious: Out of the Further," the sixth installement of the blockbuster horror franchise, director Jacob Chase channeled his fears over a major life event: becoming a parent.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

Her disincentive is channeled directly into her $25 million paycheck, which obviously isn’t awarded for accurate reporting and analysis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

I channeled all of my energy into devising a game plan to fence Kharlan.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Mike Teague, part of a gnarly 1980s Cherry-and-White pack, was among the club legends they channelled to explain the hard-nosed approach they wanted.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

The "polka dot queen" channelled hallucinations and battles with mental health into vibrant art featuring her trademark dots, nets and infinity motifs over a career spanning decades and continents.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Dew gathers on their skin and is channelled towards their mouths through microscopic grooves, while their tongues can also collect fog water condensed on plants, sand and rocks.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim intends to discuss "ensuring that oil supplies can continue to be channelled" to Malaysia, the country's national news agency reported.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

The fear in her voice channelled perfectly with the charmspeak.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

This was just me sort of channeling a sort of a Woody Guthrie type of thing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

Friedman was, as usual, channeling mainstream foreign policy dogma, which briefly held that constructive change might emerge from the chaotic aftermath of the Oct.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

The original model of the Integratron was among the collection, along with blueprints, photographs, books and recordings of Van Tassel channeling what he described as “beings from beyond.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

The Black Sea, with its trade routes channeling both Russian and Ukrainian exports through the Bosporus to the rest of the world, has been a critical lever in the war before.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

He had the gift of tapping into the rebellious streak of a kid like Jesse while simultaneously curbing and channeling it.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

By the age of 23, Jamal was a multimillionaire and channelling his success into helping others.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

In September, Seoul announced plans for a 162.3 trillion won "Future Fund" next year, aimed at channelling record tax revenues from the country’s chip boom into long-term growth.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

For the last 25 years, he's been the frontman of The Killers, channelling his love of stadium rock and British new wave on songs like Mr Brightside, When You Were Young and Human.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

"I'm an angel, I'm a demon, I'm a psycho for no reason," she sings, channelling my cat's personality over a drum sound that could shatter windows.

From BBC ● May 8, 2026

‘Who wants to be the next Popsicle?’ she yelled, channelling anger into her charmspeak.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

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