wharf
[ hwawrf, wawrf ]
/ ʰwɔrf, wɔrf /
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noun, plural wharves [hwawrvz, wawrvz], /ʰwɔrvz, wɔrvz/, wharfs.
a structure built on the shore of or projecting into a harbor, stream, etc., so that vessels may be moored alongside to load or unload or to lie at rest; quay; pier.
Obsolete.
- a riverbank.
- the shore of the sea.
verb (used with object)
to provide with a wharf or wharves.
to place or store on a wharf: The schedule allowed little time to wharf the cargo.
to accommodate at or bring to a wharf: The new structure will wharf several vessels.
verb (used without object)
to tie up at a wharf; dock: The ship wharfed in the early morning.
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Origin of wharf
before 1050; Middle English (noun); Old English hwearf embankment; cognate with Middle Low German warf; akin to German Werf pier
Words nearby wharf
whapping, whare, wharenui, wharepuni, whare wananga, wharf, wharfage, wharfie, wharfinger, wharf rat, Wharton
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for wharf
British Dictionary definitions for wharf
wharf
/ (wɔːf) /
noun plural wharves (wɔːvz) or wharfs
a platform of timber, stone, concrete, etc, built parallel to the waterfront at a harbour or navigable river for the docking, loading, and unloading of ships
the wharves NZ the working area of a dock
an obsolete word for shore 1
verb (tr)
to moor or dock at a wharf
to provide or equip with a wharf or wharves
to store or unload on a wharf
Word Origin for wharf
Old English hwearf heap; related to Old Saxon hwarf, Old High German hwarb a turn, Old Norse hvarf circle
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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