channelize

[ chan-l-ahyz ]

verb (used with or without object)

, chan·nel·ized, chan·nel·iz·ing.

1. to channel.

channelize

/ ˈtʃænəlaɪz /

verb

1. tr to guide through or as if through a channel; provide a channel for

Other Words From

• channel·i·zation noun
• non·channel·ized adjective
• un·channel·ized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of channelize¹

First recorded in 1600–10; channel ¹ + -ize

Example Sentences

There are even recharge sites along the mostly channelized Los Angeles River and in other urban areas around the state.

From Los Angeles Times

About 5,000 gallons went into the concrete vault that houses the pressure gauges, until it began to overflow and run down a slight slope into a channelized portion of a salmon stream below.

From Seattle Times

Yet California squandered much of the bounty from its recent unusually wet winter, as levees, channelized rivers and paved cities funneled much of the runoff into the ocean rather than capturing it.

From Scientific American

Settlers drained and channelized the vast California delta and beyond.

From New York Times

In the late 1950s, the Army Corps of Engineers “channelized” the San Lorenzo River to make it run deeper and faster, and built levees upstream to manage flows.

From Washington Post