channel
1[ chan-l ]
/ ˈtʃæn l /
Save This Word!
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.
to become marked by a channel: Soft earth has a tendency to channel during a heavy rain.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of channel
1First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English chanel, can(n)el, from Old French chanel, canel, from Latin canālis “waterpipe, conduit”; see canal
OTHER WORDS FROM channel
Other definitions for channel (2 of 2)
channel2
[ 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.
Also chain wale, chain-wale [cheyn-weyl, chan-l] /ˈtʃeɪnˌweɪl, ˈtʃæn l/ .
Origin of channel
2First recorded in 1760–70; variant of chain wale
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use channel in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for channel (1 of 3)
channel1
/ (ˈtʃænəl) /
noun
verb -nels, -nelling or -nelled or US -nels, -neling or -neled
Derived forms of channel
channeller, nounWord Origin for channel
C13: from Old French chanel, from Latin canālis pipe, groove, conduit; see canal
British Dictionary definitions for channel (2 of 3)
channel2
/ (ˈtʃænəl) /
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)
British Dictionary definitions for channel (3 of 3)
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
Scientific 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with channel
channel
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.