wharf

American  

[hwawrf, wawrf] / ʰwɔrf, wɔrf /

noun

PLURAL

wharves, 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.

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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 British  

/ 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 working area of a dock

3. an obsolete word for shore 1

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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

Etymology

Origin of wharf

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

Example Sentences

It lurks in the halls of famed institutions and the parking lots of dreary, run-down wharfs.

From Salon

Boats can dock at wharfs, quays and piers protected by the reef's natural lagoon.

From The Wall Street Journal

Authorities did not provide any detail about a potential cause for the incident or estimate on how fast the vehicle was traveling before it went off the edge of the wharf.

From Los Angeles Times

The port, with the help of federal and provincial funds, is spending 609 million Canadian dollars dredging the river and building new wharves.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mikkelsen said the port is planning upgrades to wharfs and access roads, improved on-site utilities, and dredging and environmental restoration, among other efforts to accommodate the wind equipment.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• berth
• dock
• jetty
• levee
• pier