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

At least 5% of global trade flows through the Panama Canal, underpinning the country’s prosperity relative to its neighbors.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Mexican nationalist promised it would compete with the Panama Canal.

From The Wall Street Journal

As it turns out the Panama Canal, while still economically important in 1989, wasn’t as vital as it had been in decades past.

From Barron's

Near the entrance to the Panama Canal, a monument to China's contributions to the interoceanic waterway was torn down Saturday night by order of local authorities.

From Barron's

The quickest route from Shanghai to the Zhen Hua 29’s first stop in Mississippi would have taken the ship east across the Pacific Ocean and through the Panama Canal.

From The Wall Street Journal