canals

noun

plural of canal
as in aqueducts
an open man-made passageway for water the Panama Canal opened a much easier and shorter passageway from the Atlantic to the Pacific

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of canals Such discoveries have also been made while construction workers dig canals to install gas pipes. — CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 Many rural farming communities had spent generations building and maintaining their own irrigation canals, wells, and water systems. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026 As Jan races north along the canals, his unwanted passengers force him to confront a reality far removed from his own and to see life from a new perspective. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026 In the morning, travelers will awake among the graceful canals and bridges of Venice, with a private water taxi to ferry them into the heart of the Venetian lagoon to explore the city’s many islands. — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Aug. 2026 With its iconic canals, Gothic architecture, Moorish windows, and artisan legacy spanning everything from Murano glass and Burano lace to terrazzo flooring, Venice is a design lover's paradise. — Madeline Weinfield, Architectural Digest, 5 Aug. 2026 The carousel included snaps from all over Italy as the trio made their way through outdoor piazzas, the Vatican, art galleries in Milan, the Colosseum, and the canals of Venice. — Meg Walters, InStyle, 3 Aug. 2026 Governments can then make decisions based on the resulting risk maps, such as prioritising patrols and fire bans in high-risk areas, and blocking drainage canals to rewet peatlands and raise groundwater levels before a fire starts. — Karryl Kim Sagun Trajano, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2026 This town in southern Japan was a key rice distribution center in the Edo Period (1603–1867) thanks to a network of transport canals. — Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canals
  1. aqueducts
  2. waterways
Noun
  • The update will set rules for the Sacramento River and the rest of the Delta, where pumps operated by state and federal agencies send water flowing in aqueducts to farms and cities.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Roman aqueducts Aqueducts transported water from distant sources into cities using gravity rather than mechanical pumps.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of aqueducts
Noun
  • Next steps involve getting zequanox approved for use in golden mussels through the California Environmental Protection Agency and hoping to get this rolled out in local waterways next year, possibly sooner, if California approves an emergency use.
    — Ashley Sharp, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • In waterways, incoming hot water can dissolve oxygen and stress fish, as well as other aquatic wildlife and birds.
    — Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of waterways

Browse Nearby Words

canalizing
canals
canapé
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Cite this Entry

“Canals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canals. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of canals for Spanish Speakers

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