as in dock
a structure used by boats and ships for taking on or landing cargo and passengers
the tour boat pulled up to the quai on the left bank of the Seine
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of quai
Rick Warner, the director of film studies at the University of North Carolina, deliberately selects films with slow pacing and subtle details, such as Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, a three-hour movie that mostly follows a woman doing chores in her apartment.
—
Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
On a recent breezy day, Jérôme Callais wrapped a secondhand biography of Robespierre tightly in cellophane, covering the burgundy leather hardcover with an expert flick of the wrist and positioning it near a weighty tome on Talleyrand inside his dark green bookstand on a quai above the Seine.
—Liz Alderman, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2020
Farther up the quai was a former monastery courtyard, overgrown but graceful.
—Bill Buford, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2020
Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
On a recent breezy day, Jérôme Callais wrapped a secondhand biography of Robespierre tightly in cellophane, covering the burgundy leather hardcover with an expert flick of the wrist and positioning it near a weighty tome on Talleyrand inside his dark green bookstand on a quai above the Seine.
—Liz Alderman, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2020
Farther up the quai was a former monastery courtyard, overgrown but graceful.
—Bill Buford, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quai
Noun
-
Canary Wharf, formerly grim docks and working-class housing blocks in eastern London, has been transformed into a mammoth global commercial center.—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Thousands gathered on shipping docks and downtown streets across Chicago, Detroit and Washington in 1860 for a chance to catch a glimpse of Albert Edward, the prince of Wales.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Mark Dennis, a member of Auckland Council's Rodney Local Board, told the newspaper the man was fishing with his family on the wharf and was a good swimmer.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
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Morris felt a sense of belonging in the city that did not belong, and on the wharf that morning laid the foundations of a whole career exploring nostalgia and its yearnings.—
Sara Wheeler,
Big Think,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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This walkable pier juts into Tampa Bay and offers unparalleled views of the city.—
India Amos,
Travel + Leisure,
2 May 2026
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Save room for a Nutella Budino or some bread pudding before doing a post-dinner stroll to the pier.—
Melissa Oyler
Updated May 1,
Charlotte Observer,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Ten 35-pound wreckfish — enormous silver deep-water dwellers that live down to 650 feet — are filleted and bagged on a large stainless-steel table on the quay.—
NPR,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
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Waiting at the quay were water taxis for hotel guests.—
Vic O'Sullivan,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quai.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quai. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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