channelize

especially British, chan·nel·ise

[chan-l-ahyz]

verb (used with or without object)

channelized, channelizing 

1. to channel.

channelize

/ ˈtʃænəlaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to guide through or as if through a channel; provide a channel for

Other Word Forms

• channelization noun
• nonchannelized adjective
• unchannelized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of channelize¹

First recorded in 1600–10; channel ¹ + -ize

Example Sentences

Imagine streets and sidewalks with healthy tree canopies, permeable paving, and green infrastructure that captures rainwater for recharge or reuse, so it enters the water table instead of being directed to our channelized rivers.

From Los Angeles Times

There are even recharge sites along the mostly channelized Los Angeles River and in other urban areas around the state.

From Los Angeles Times

About 5,000 gallons went into the concrete vault that houses the pressure gauges, until it began to overflow and run down a slight slope into a channelized portion of a salmon stream below.

From Seattle Times

Yet California squandered much of the bounty from its recent unusually wet winter, as levees, channelized rivers and paved cities funneled much of the runoff into the ocean rather than capturing it.

From Scientific American

Settlers drained and channelized the vast California delta and beyond.

From New York Times