channel

CHAN-uhl/ˈt͡ʃænəl/

Pluralchannels

Verbchannels

24 meanings of channel

Practice

1
tv stationnouncountable
A numbered radio or TV frequency that you tune to for a station or for messages.
Like different lanes on a highway, each carrying its own cars.
Turn to channel five to watch the news.
My little brother changes channels all the time.
UsageSay on channel seven.
Note
2
pathwaynouncountable
A way for something to move or pass from one place to another.
Like a hallway that lets people move from one room to another.
The school set up a simple channel for students to share their ideas.
Money moved through several channels before it reached the family.
UsageOften through official channels.
Similarconduit, avenue, route, medium, means
Note
3
narrow seanouncountable
A narrow area of sea between two pieces of land.
Like a hallway of water between two big rooms of land.
We took a boat across the channel to the island.
A narrow channel separates the two islands.
Similarstrait, sound
Note
4
directverbtransitive
To make something move or go in the direction you want.
Like the banks of a river that keep the water moving one way.
The fences channel the cows toward the barn.
She channeled her anger into her painting.
UsageSay channel money into something.
Similardirect, guide, funnel, steer, route
5
sales routenouncountable
A way a company gets its products to the people who buy them.
Like the roads that bring food from a farm to your table.
The bakery sells through two channels: its own shop and local markets.
Online stores have become an important channel for small businesses.
UsageThings sell through a channel.
Similaroutlet, route
6
separate signalnouncountable
One separate path that a sound or data signal travels along, apart from other signals.
Like two pipes side by side, each carrying its own water.
Each speaker gets its sound through a separate channel.
Engineers ran the test data over a separate channel to avoid interference.
Note
7
river bednouncountable
The low ground that a river or stream flows along, or the bottom of the sea.
After the dry summer, the river's channel was almost empty.
Heavy rain can cut a new channel through soft ground.
Similarbed, riverbed, course
Note
8
chat roomnouncountable
A place online where a group chats, usually about one topic.
Like a table at a big party where everyone talks about the same thing.
She joined a channel where people talk about cooking.
The gamers made a private channel for their team.
UsageChat or post in a channel, or be on a channel.
Note
9
boat route (river)nouncountable
The deep part of a river or harbor where boats and ships can safely go.
Barges stay in the channel where the river is deep enough.
The pilot knew every bend of the channel by heart.
UsageOften shipping channel.
10
cell openingnouncountable
A tiny opening in a cell's outer layer that lets certain particles pass through.
Like a small door in a wall that only lets certain things through.
Nerve cells use tiny channels to let sodium move in and out.
Some heart medicines work by blocking a channel in the cells.
Note
11
data linknouncountable
The path that carries information from where it starts to where it ends up.
Like a pipe that carries water from a tank to a tap.
A noisy channel can lose some of the data on the way.
Engineers tested the channel between the two computers.
Similarlink
Note
12
groovenouncountable
A long narrow cut or groove in a surface, or a gutter for water.
Rainwater runs along a channel at the edge of the roof.
The carpenter cut a channel in the wood for the wire.
Similargroove, gutter, flute
13
video pagenouncountable
A page on a video or social media site where a person or group shares what they make.
She posts a new cooking video on her channel every Friday.
My little brother watches gaming channels all weekend.
Note

Less common meanings

14
imitateverbtransitive
To copy the style of a person, often while performing.
The singer channels Elvis in every show.
Try to channel your favorite actor when you read the lines.
UsageOften channel a famous person.
Similaremulate, imitate, evoke
Note
15
act as mediumverbtransitive
To act as the carrier that something, like a message or feeling, passes through.
Like a straw that carries a drink from the cup to your mouth.
The fortune teller claims she channels voices from the dead.
His paintings channel the sadness he felt as a child.
Similarexpress, convey, transmit, embody
16
psychic (person)nouncountable
A person who claims to let a spirit speak through them for a while.
Like a radio that lets you hear a voice from far away.
The channel closed her eyes and said a spirit was speaking through her.
People paid the channel to contact their lost relatives.
Similarmedium, psychic
17
cut a grooveverbtransitive
To cut a long, narrow groove into a hard surface.
Like drawing a line in wet sand with your finger.
Workers channel the stone to guide rainwater away from the wall.
He channeled the back of the shelf so the cord would fit.
Similargroove, cut, carve
Note
18
steel beamnouncountable
A metal bar shaped like the letter C when you look at its end.
Like a metal letter C lying on its side.
The builders bolted a steel channel across the frame.
Each channel held up part of the heavy roof.
Note
19
noun
A link that joins one point in a circuit to another.
20
noun
The thin path inside a transistor where electricity flows.
21
noun
One part of a storage disk or tape that a single head can read or write.
22
noun
A way of sending fresh web content straight to your computer on its own.
To access channels in Windows 98, you don't have to go any farther than your desktop.
1999, Margaret Levine Young, Internet: The Complete ReferenceHere, channels means services that send fresh internet content straight to your computer.
23
noun
The part of a spinning pump where the pressure builds up.
24
noun
A flat wooden ledge on a ship's outside that holds the ropes away from the side.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of channel apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–3, 5–13, 16, 18

From Old French chanel, from Latin canālis meaning "groove" or "channel".

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

The noun channel derives from Old French chanel, which derives from Latin canālis. en.wiktionary.org
Latin canālis means groove or channel. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 4, 14–15, 17

From Middle English chanelen, made from the noun "channel".

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

The verb channel derives from Middle English chanelen. en.wiktionary.org
Middle English chanelen was formed from the noun channel. en.wiktionary.org