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
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Recent Examples of canals
The severe weather also left 147 homes either completely or partially destroyed, wiped out 80 kilometers of roads and destroyed agricultural land and irrigation canals, Hammad said.
—
ABC News, 29 Mar. 2026
First canals and then locks were devised to guide boats around the falls.
—Adam Sachs, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Mar. 2026
The Dotonbori district is so alive and vibrant at night, with all kinds of street vendors, people laughing in the street, and these fun, glowing party boats going by in the canals.
—Matt Bomer, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
Historians believed the ancestral Sonoran people, who once resided there, built extensive farming systems and canals that remained over a thousand years.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 23 Mar. 2026
In California, groundwater has rebounded in areas that obtained more water from canals or pipelines decades ago, including Santa Clara Valley, Livermore-Amador Valley, South Yuba Basin, Yucca Valley and parts of Los Angeles.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026
The lizards have spread rapidly across Florida's waterways and canals.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Water quality in many canals and bays is worsening.
—Nathan Rott, NPR, 17 Mar. 2026
Those canals, levees and roads broke up the natural flow of the water.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
ABC News, 29 Mar. 2026
First canals and then locks were devised to guide boats around the falls.
—Adam Sachs, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Mar. 2026
The Dotonbori district is so alive and vibrant at night, with all kinds of street vendors, people laughing in the street, and these fun, glowing party boats going by in the canals.
—Matt Bomer, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
Historians believed the ancestral Sonoran people, who once resided there, built extensive farming systems and canals that remained over a thousand years.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 23 Mar. 2026
In California, groundwater has rebounded in areas that obtained more water from canals or pipelines decades ago, including Santa Clara Valley, Livermore-Amador Valley, South Yuba Basin, Yucca Valley and parts of Los Angeles.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026
The lizards have spread rapidly across Florida's waterways and canals.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Water quality in many canals and bays is worsening.
—Nathan Rott, NPR, 17 Mar. 2026
Those canals, levees and roads broke up the natural flow of the water.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canals
Noun
-
Picnic in the shadow of ancient aqueducts.—
Laura Itzkowitz,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Mar. 2026
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Students learn how their water travels from the Sierra Nevada through reservoirs, pipes and aqueducts to finally end up in their homes.—
Molly McCrea,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Over time, these nutrients move through storm systems and waterways into larger bodies of water such as lakes and ponds.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
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Pennsylvania waterways are stocked with trout by the state Fish and Boat Commission.—
Ricky Sayer,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Canals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canals. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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