Panama Canal

American  

noun

1. a canal extending southeast from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean across the Isthmus of Panama. 40 miles (64 kilometers) long.

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Panama Canal British  

noun

1. a canal across the Isthmus of Panama, linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans: extends from Colón on the Caribbean Sea southeast to Balboa on the Gulf of Panama; built by the US (1904–14), after an unsuccessful previous attempt (1880–89) by the French under de Lesseps. Length: 64 km (40 miles)

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Panama Canal Cultural  

1. Waterway across the Isthmus of Panama. The canal connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The United States built it from 1904 to 1914 on territory leased from Panama.

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Conflict between the United States and Panama has centered on control of the canal; a treaty was signed in 1977 returning control of the Canal Zone to Panama in 2000. Since that time, Panama has agreed to neutral operation of the canal.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Panama Canal

Unlike the Panama Canal, they aren’t crucial to the global economy.

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2026

But the Panama Canal Authority said shipping through the channel, which connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, was unaffected and operating "as normal."

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

The system was packed up and sent through the Panama Canal to get Stateside, where Shepherd and a small team will reassemble it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

That is putting more upward pressure on the price to go through the Panama Canal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Of all his accomplishments as president, Roosevelt believed that the construction of the Panama Canal was his greatest achievement.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

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