1690–1700; spelling variant (after French quai ) of earlier kay (also key, whence the modern pronunciation) < Old French kay, cay; akin to Spanish cayo shoal. See key 2
You know that wharf on the bank of the river where all the boats park? It's not an aqua parking lot. It's called a quay. When you visit France and take a walk beside the wharves where boats dock and unload passengers, you can say you've been strolling along the quays of the Seine. The English spelling of this word was originally key, and that's one way to pronounce it even today, an alternative to "qway." Quay comes from the Old North French cai, "sand bank."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
AFP journalists at Granadilla saw white tents erected along the quay and that the police, some in protective medical suits, had sealed off part of the small industrial port.
From Barron's ● May 10, 2026
Its rigorous order and deep perspective, enhanced by the receding lines of ship masts and rail tracks along the expansive quay, address his motif in a style apropos of its modern subject.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026
The “Turenges” took a room in a hotel overlooking the harbor and discovered, to their surprise, an unguarded entrance that allowed them to observe the quay itself.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2025
The terminal operator International Transportation Service plans to fill in a 19-acre area of water and extend the existing quay by 560 feet, which would allow larger ships to dock at the port.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2025
They sailed back, largely in silence, to the City of Scholars and docked the next morning at the quay.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
The woman's home and motor vehicle were later searched and police discovered keys to the flat in Meadowside Quay Walk.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
A councillor has raised the prospect of the ongoing Custom House Quay and Carlton Place project - which aims to regenerate the local waterfront - allowing river travel to be possible.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
The Hythe Ferry, linking Hythe and Southampton Town Quay, was suspended in August 2024 after damage was found to its pontoon and supporting structure.
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026
He doesn’t even know how to treat the cops who are his new guards, amusingly portrayed as a comedy-act trio who finish one another’s sentences by Ethan Dubin, Katie Kreisler and Dave Quay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
One telegram is addressed to Mrs. Clohessy of Arthur’s Quay and that couldn’t be anyone but Paddy’s mother.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
Boats can dock at wharfs, quays and piers protected by the reef's natural lagoon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2025
Boats can dock at wharfs, quays and piers protected by the reef's natural lagoon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2025
On the stone quays of the Seine, even the most passionate odes to the river’s charms tend to arrive at the same conclusion: Nope.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2024
As of now, there has been no set date on when the booksellers should leave the quays.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 25, 2023
As his body was lowered, the rebels on the quays who smoked and watched applauded.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
