Erie Canal

American  

noun

1. a canal in New York between Albany and Buffalo, connecting the Hudson River with Lake Erie: completed in 1825.

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Erie Canal British  

noun

1. a canal in New York State between Albany and Buffalo, linking the Hudson River with Lake Erie. Length: 579 km (360 miles)

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Erie Canal Cultural  

1. An artificial waterway built across New York state in the early nineteenth century, linking Lake Erie and the Hudson River. The canal opened trade between New York and the midwestern states and aided in the growth of New York City as a port.

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Example Sentences

But DeWitt Clinton’s visionary Erie Canal of 1825—a then-363-mile route from the namesake lake to the Hudson River—not only supercharged the city, but opened up new markets for Midwest farmers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

Until early in 2023, they were living in Fairport, N.Y., along the Erie Canal outside Rochester.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2024

The box also contained a medal that celebrates the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825.

From BBC • Aug. 30, 2023

The flat-bottomed boat carrying local hospitality workers capsized Monday during a tour of an historic underground water tunnel off the Erie Canal in the western New York city of Lockport, killing one person.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 13, 2023

This triangle-shaped area was bordered by water—the Erie Canal, the Genesee River and the Genesee Valley Canal.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock