waterway
Americannoun
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a river, canal, or other body of water serving as a route or way of travel or transport.
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Shipbuilding. (in a steel or iron vessel) a depressed gutter at the edge of the deck inside the bulwarks, used especially when the decking is wooden.
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a channel for vessels, as a fairway in a harbor.
noun
Etymology
Origin of waterway
before 950; Middle English; Old English wæterweg. See water, way 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In normal times, 20% of the world’s oil flows through the narrow waterway to global markets, along with critical supplies of natural gas, fertilizer and other cargo shipments.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
Tracking data showed the French-owned ship passed close to the coast of Oman on the opposite side of the waterway to Iran.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
In peacetime, the same waterway handles around 120 daily transits, according to Lloyd's List.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
French President Emmanuel Macron Thursday said a military option in the Hormuz is unrealistic, and freedom of navigation in the waterway can only be re-established through coordination with Iran.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
They crossed another shallow waterway, where the soft river mud soothed their tired feet.
From "Copper Sun" by Sharon M. Draper
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
