wharves

[ hwawrvz, wawrvz ]

/ ʰwɔrvz, wɔrvz /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wharves ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a plural of wharf.

Nearby words

wharton, wharton's duct, wharton's jelly, wharton, edith, wharve, wharves, what, what about, what do you know, what do you take me for?, what for

Definition for wharves (2 of 3)

wharf

[ hwawrf, wawrf ]

/ ʰwɔrf, wɔrf /

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.

Origin of wharf

before 1050; Middle English (noun); Old English hwearf embankment; cognate with Middle Low German warf; akin to German Werf pier

Can be confused

dock harbor pier wharf

Definition for wharves (3 of 3)

wharve

[ hwawrv, wawrv ]

/ ʰwɔrv, wɔrv /

noun

Spinning. a wheel or round piece of wood on a spindle, serving as a flywheel or as a pulley.

Origin of wharve

before 1000; Middle English wherve, Old English hweorfa; derivative of hwerfan to revolve

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wharves

As we got close to the shore we saw plenty of level streets and wharves, and alongside of the wharves, ships.
An American Hobo in Europe|Ben Goodkind
The wharves are piled high with bales and bags, boxes and barrels.
Great Cities of the United States|Gertrude Van Duyn Southworth
The trade of the old East and the new West came to the London wharves, and every one was ready to take a risk.
The Facts About Shakespeare|William Allan Nielson
On either bank, the wharves were thronged with shipping—straight masts and cobweb cordage, dense as primeval forests.
Dust|Julian Hawthorne

Wharves for ocean-going steamers should ultimately be constructed at this important port.
The Philippines Past and Present (Volume 2 of 2)|Dean Conant Worcester

British Dictionary definitions for wharves (1 of 2)

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

British Dictionary definitions for wharves (2 of 2)

wharve

/ (wɔːv) /

noun

a wooden disc or wheel on a shaft serving as a flywheel or pulley

Word Origin for wharve

Old English hweorfa, from hweorfan to revolve; related to Old Saxon hwervo axis, Old High German hwerbo a turn

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012