English Channel

American  

noun

1. an arm of the Atlantic Ocean between southern England and northern France, connected with the North Sea by the Strait of Dover. 350 miles (565 kilometers) long; 20–100 miles (32–160 kilometers) wide.

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English Channel British  

noun

1. French name: La Manche.  an arm of the Atlantic Ocean between S England and N France, linked with the North Sea by the Strait of Dover. Length: about 560 km (350 miles). Width: between 32 km (20 miles) and 161 km (100 miles)

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English Channel Cultural  

1. Arm of the Atlantic Ocean between France and Britain.

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Discover More

A tunnel under the channel connects England and France via auto-carrying train service.

Its cold, choppy waters have been a popular challenge for long-distance swimmers.

A formation of high bluffs on the British side of the English Channel is known as the White Cliffs of Dover.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

English Channel

Streeting also dismissed a Russian warship's recent live-firing exercise in the English Channel as "performative" but added it was a "reminder of the frankly unsafe and unprofessional way in which they have been conducting themselves".

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

Last month, Royal Marine Commandos boarded a Russian "shadow fleet" oil tanker in the English Channel in a six-hour operation which was the first of its kind by UK armed forces.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

The southern North Sea and the English Channel are quite shallow, which means they can heat up quickly when the air above is warm.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

The EU and UK monitor the number of people crossing borders in the Mediterranean and English Channel by sea without permission.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

Neither James nor any of the others knew it, but the ship that was now passing beneath them was actually the Queen Mary sailing out of the English Channel on her way to America.

From "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl