Jump To:

• 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.

---

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.

---

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

---

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

---

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

---

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.

---

channel Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing channel

• go through channels

---

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

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

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

Indeed, Haaland has almost 20 million more Instagram followers than his club Manchester City and, as mentioned, his own YouTube channel.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

They called on HBO to remain a linear television channel and available on third-party platforms, including Amazon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

A Globe and Mail editorial in May described Hoekstra as being "keen to channel his boss’s aggressive boorishness."

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

“This is the channel where we fully define our brand experience, so to see this powering our business is one of the results we are most pleased with this quarter,” Sluis said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

If Ms. Jacobs was a television, I’d change the channel.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

The proposed fracking plan would quadruple production on an aging offshore platform in the Santa Barbara Channel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Find insight on oil futures, E.ON, Channel Infrastructure and more in the latest Market Talks covering energy and utilities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Anchors at Oakland’s KTVU-TV Channel 2 news station said they felt a jolt while on air.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Comparing the volume of passengers to an EasyJet flight, the paper says it is a "record for one vessel" crossing the English Channel to the UK - which it estimates will cost taxpayers £25m.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

“Okay, because you, Ms. Lucinda Bulosan-Nelson, were nominated for Channel Forty’s Student of the Year Award by me, your favorite teacher of all time, Mr. Peter Keller.”

From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio

Many prominent players now share regular updates from their lives on their own YouTube channels - from Haaland, to Ronaldo, Jude Bellingham and Lionesses' star Ella Toone.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

After engaging with the accounts' profiles and posts, the BBC was added to multiple channels and WhatsApp groups.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

His views echoed those of environmental groups that oppose deepening shipping channels.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

No other country has simultaneously deepened ties with the U.S., maintained a close strategic relationship with China, boosted defense cooperation with Turkey, and kept channels open to Iran, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

The shrimp boat captains watched for the channels and markers, somehow feeling that they were the lords of all this, of all they saw and felt.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

With commercial tourism, social media and vlogging much of today’s world feels overexposed and overexplained, with seemingly every destination photographed, every experience reviewed and all hidden gems channeled into content.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

Willing was a facilitator and a beneficiary of government favoritism, Mr. Vague acknowledges, but that favoritism, adeptly channeled, allowed a fragile government to attract the support of wary capitalists.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Through the process of writing the script, Madonna was bitten by the memoir bug, but she channeled that confessional energy into her forthcoming album, “Confessions on a Dance Floor: Part II,” which drops July 3.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026

She has channeled that into art, writing the evocative and hilarious tween comedy PEN15.

From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026

We hit the final stretch, the last hundred meters, which was when we were supposed to run full-out, and I must've channeled my inner Usain and bolted to the end.

From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds

In between, she channelled the energy of the Tartan Army from the World Cup by leading the crowd in a a chant of "No Scotland No Party".

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 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

Asked by AFP about Russia's economic woes, the Russian leader on Thursday channelled Mark Twain.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

The researchers tested both smoother ice shelf bases and more realistic channelled formations under cooler and slightly warmer ocean conditions.

From Science Daily ● May 10, 2026

The fear in her voice channelled perfectly with the charmspeak.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

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

While Mr. Richman’s vocals retained punk’s nasal, monochromatic tone, his songs were dorky and witty, channeling Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent and Freddie and the Dreamers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Jolie’s work is bold, and almost imperceptibly so, quietly channeling a part of herself that is entirely removed from the veneer of fame and celebrity.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026

Whether it was Ryan channeling designer inspo or fashion-snatching looks from the streets, the display — like the book that inspired it — was colorful and daring, inspired and eccentric and wholly unique.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

Hyacinth stood up straight, channeling Hyacinth the Brave, and stepped inside with Franz at her heels.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

He has staked his leadership on aggressive reforms that aim to deliver double-digit growth, slashing bureaucratic red tape, empowering the private sector and channelling vast resources into mega-projects.

From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026

In December, the BBC announced it was doubling spending on content in the four nations by channelling more money from central budgets across the UK.

From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026

The UN and its partners said the system contravened the fundamental humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence, and that channelling desperate people into militarised zones was inherently unsafe.

From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2025

But Yates showed maturity by apologising to his team before the start on Saturday, admitting he was just disappointed at his own performance, before channelling that frustration as Visma's plan worked perfectly.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2025

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

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• avenue
• carrier
• means
• medium
• route
• tunnel