wharf

[ wawrf, hwawrf ]

noun

, plural wharves [wawrvz, hwawrvz], wharfs.

1. a structure built on the shore of or projecting into a harbor, stream, etc., so that vessels may be moored alongside to load or unload or to lie at rest; quay; pier.
2. Obsolete.
   1. a riverbank.
   2. the shore of the sea.

verb (used with object)

1. to provide with a wharf or wharves.
2. to place or store on a wharf:

   The schedule allowed little time to wharf the cargo.

3. to accommodate at or bring to a wharf:

   The new structure will wharf several vessels.

verb (used without object)

1. to tie up at a wharf; dock:

   The ship wharfed in the early morning.

wharf

/ wɔːf /

noun

1. a platform of timber, stone, concrete, etc, built parallel to the waterfront at a harbour or navigable river for the docking, loading, and unloading of ships
2. the wharves
   the working area of a dock
3. an obsolete word for shore 1

verb

1. to moor or dock at a wharf
2. to provide or equip with a wharf or wharves
3. to store or unload on a wharf

Word History and Origins

Origin of wharf¹

before 1050; Middle English (noun); Old English hwearf embankment; cognate with Middle Low German warf; akin to German Werf pier

Word History and Origins

Origin of wharf¹

Old English hwearf heap; related to Old Saxon hwarf, Old High German hwarb a turn, Old Norse hvarf circle

Example Sentences

In the beginning, there was the wharf, the rudimentary, workaday pier built to get goods from here to there.

From Los Angeles Times

AltaSea is bringing new purpose to a previously moribund wharf that once played a rich part in the evolution of Southern California.

From Los Angeles Times

On a nearby wharf, Prime Minister Mark Brown and many other prominent citizens had gathered to celebrate the smaller boat’s arrival.

From New York Times

“It totally revitalized all the business on the wharf.”

From Los Angeles Times

The pier was originally built as a commercial shipping wharf to bring business to Oceanside, which was incorporated the year the pier opened.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• berth
• dock
• jetty
• levee
• pier