waterway

Language: en

🇺🇸 /ˈwɔtɜrˌweɪ/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    A navigable body of water, such as a river, canal, or strait, used for transportation or commerce.; A channel or conduit through which water flows, such as a drainage ditch or gutter.; A passage along the side of a ship's deck, used for drainage.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: waterways

Collocations

inland waterwaynavigable waterwaymajor waterwaywaterway systemwaterway network

Synonyms

watercoursechannelcanalstraitpassage

Commonly confused

watercourse
EN: 'Watercourse' is a broader term for any natural or artificial flow of water (including small streams), while 'waterway' typically implies a navigable route used for transport.
waterfront
EN: 'Waterfront' refers to the land or area alongside a body of water, not the body of water itself.

Spelling tips

EN: Always written as one word ('waterway'), not two ('water way'). The plural is 'waterways'.

💬 Examples

  1. The Mississippi River is one of the most important waterways in North America.

  2. The engineers designed a waterway to divert floodwater away from the village.

  3. The sailor swept debris from the waterway to prevent clogging during the storm.