Definitions for Channel
ˈtʃæn lChan·nel

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. channel, transmission channel(noun)

   a path over which electrical signals can pass

   "a channel is typically what you rent from a telephone company"

2. channel(noun)

   a passage for water (or other fluids) to flow through

   "the fields were crossed with irrigation channels"; "gutters carried off the rainwater into a series of channels under the street"

3. groove, channel(noun)

   a long narrow furrow cut either by a natural process (such as erosion) or by a tool (as e.g. a groove in a phonograph record)

4. channel(noun)

   a deep and relatively narrow body of water (as in a river or a harbor or a strait linking two larger bodies) that allows the best passage for vessels

   "the ship went aground in the channel"

5. channel, communication channel, line(noun)

   (often plural) a means of communication or access

   "it must go through official channels"; "lines of communication were set up between the two firms"

6. duct, epithelial duct, canal, channel(noun)

   a bodily passage or tube lined with epithelial cells and conveying a secretion or other substance

   "the tear duct was obstructed"; "the alimentary canal"; "poison is released through a channel in the snake's fangs"

7. channel, television channel, TV channel(noun)

   a television station and its programs

   "a satellite TV channel"; "surfing through the channels"; "they offer more than one hundred channels"

8. distribution channel, channel(verb)

   a way of selling a company's product either directly or via distributors

   "possible distribution channels are wholesalers or small retailers or retail chains or direct mailers or your own stores"

9. impart, conduct, transmit, convey, carry, channel(verb)

   transmit or serve as the medium for transmission

   "Sound carries well over water"; "The airwaves carry the sound"; "Many metals conduct heat"

10. channel, canalize, canalise(verb)

    direct the flow of

    "channel information towards a broad audience"

11. transmit, transfer, transport, channel, channelize, channelise(verb)

    send from one person or place to another

    "transmit a message"

GCIDE(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Channel(n.)

   pl. official routes of communication, especially the official means by which information should be transmitted in a bureaucracy; as, to submit a request through channels; you have to go through channels.

   Etymology: [OE. chanel, canel, OF. chanel, F. chenel, fr. L. canalis. See Canal.]

2. Channel(n.)

   a band of electromagnetic wave frequencies that is used for one-way or two-way radio communication; especially, the frequency bands assigned by the FTC for use in television broadcasting, and designated by a specific number; as, channel 2 in New York is owned by CBS.

   Etymology: [OE. chanel, canel, OF. chanel, F. chenel, fr. L. canalis. See Canal.]

3. Channel(n.)

   one of the signals in an electronic device which receives or sends more than one signal simultaneously, as in stereophonic radios, records, or CD players, or in measuring equipment which gathers multiple measurements simultaneously.

   Etymology: [OE. chanel, canel, OF. chanel, F. chenel, fr. L. canalis. See Canal.]

4. Channel(n.)

   (Cell biology) an opening in a cell membrane which serves to actively transport or allow passive transport of substances across the membrane; as, an ion channel in a nerve cell.

   Etymology: [OE. chanel, canel, OF. chanel, F. chenel, fr. L. canalis. See Canal.]

5. Channel(n.)

   (Computers) a path for transmission of signals between devices within a computer or between a computer and an external device; as, a DMA channel.

   Etymology: [OE. chanel, canel, OF. chanel, F. chenel, fr. L. canalis. See Canal.]

Wiktionary(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Channel(ProperNoun)

   the English Channel

   Etymology: From chenel (French: canal, chenal), from canalis

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Channel(noun)

   the hollow bed where a stream of water runs or may run

   Etymology: [OE. chanel, canel, OF. chanel, F. chenel, fr. L. canalis. See Canal.]

2. Channel(noun)

   the deeper part of a river, harbor, strait, etc., where the main current flows, or which affords the best and safest passage for vessels

   Etymology: [OE. chanel, canel, OF. chanel, F. chenel, fr. L. canalis. See Canal.]

3. Channel(noun)

   a strait, or narrow sea, between two portions of lands; as, the British Channel

   Etymology: [OE. chanel, canel, OF. chanel, F. chenel, fr. L. canalis. See Canal.]

4. Channel(noun)

   that through which anything passes; means of passing, conveying, or transmitting; as, the news was conveyed to us by different channels

   Etymology: [OE. chanel, canel, OF. chanel, F. chenel, fr. L. canalis. See Canal.]

5. Channel(noun)

   a gutter; a groove, as in a fluted column

   Etymology: [OE. chanel, canel, OF. chanel, F. chenel, fr. L. canalis. See Canal.]

6. Channel(noun)

   flat ledges of heavy plank bolted edgewise to the outside of a vessel, to increase the spread of the shrouds and carry them clear of the bulwarks

   Etymology: [OE. chanel, canel, OF. chanel, F. chenel, fr. L. canalis. See Canal.]

7. Channel(verb)

   to form a channel in; to cut or wear a channel or channels in; to groove

   Etymology: [OE. chanel, canel, OF. chanel, F. chenel, fr. L. canalis. See Canal.]

8. Channel(verb)

   to course through or over, as in a channel

   Etymology: [OE. chanel, canel, OF. chanel, F. chenel, fr. L. canalis. See Canal.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Channel

   In telecommunications and computer networking, a communication channel, or channel, refers either to a physical transmission medium such as a wire, or to a logical connection over a multiplexed medium such as a radio channel. A channel is used to convey an information signal, for example a digital bit stream, from one or several senders to one or several receivers. A channel has a certain capacity for transmitting information, often measured by its bandwidth in Hz or its data rate in bits per second. Communicating data from one location to another requires some form of pathway or medium. These pathways, called communication channels, use two types of media: cable and broadcast. Cable or wireline media use physical wires of cables to transmit data and information. Twisted-pair wire and coaxial cables are made of copper, and fiber-optic cable is made of glass. In information theory, a channel refers to a theoretical channel model with certain error characteristics. In this more general view, a storage device is also a kind of channel, which can be sent to and received from.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Channel

   chan′el, n. the bed of a stream of water: the deeper part of a strait, bay, or harbour: a strait or narrow sea: a groove or furrow: means of passing or conveying: (Scot.) gravel.—v.t. to make a channel: to furrow: to convey.—p.adj. Chann′elled.—The Channel, the English Channel. [O. Fr. chanel, canel—L. canalis, a canal.]

2. Channel

   chan′el, n. a flat piece of wood or iron projecting horizontally from a ship's side to spread the shrouds and keep them clear of the bulwarks—fore, main, and mizzen channels. [Corr. of Chain-wale. Cf. Gunnel.]

The New Hacker's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. channel

   [IRC] The basic unit of discussion on IRC. Once one joins a channel, everything one types is read by others on that channel. Channels are named with strings that begin with a ‘#’ sign and can have topic descriptions (which are generally irrelevant to the actual subject of discussion). Some notable channels are #initgame, #hottub, callahans, and #report. At times of international crisis, #report has hundreds of members, some of whom take turns listening to various news services and typing in summaries of the news, or in some cases, giving first-hand accounts of the action (e.g., Scud missile attacks in Tel Aviv during the Gulf War in 1991).

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. channel

   In hydrography, the fair-way, or deepest part of a river, harbour, or strait, which is most convenient for the track of shipping. Also, an arm of the sea, or water communication running between an island or islands and the main or continent, as the British Channel. In an extended sense it implies any passage which separates lands, and leads from one ocean into another, without distinction as to shape.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. channel

   A route for access or communication.

   The channel was easy and flows efficiently.

   Submitted by MaryC on January 29, 2020  

2. channel

   A type of structure.

   The channel within the housing estate connected to the drainage system.

   Submitted by MaryC on March 14, 2020  

3. channel

   To communicate, feel, hear, interpret, receive, understand and transmit divine information, knowledge, data, fact, understanding, vision, plans or updates from a being in a facet or dimension of the universe to a human being, a group, or universal being.

   We all have the natural ability to channel divine information and contribute to the planet and our understanding of our divine purpose.

   Submitted by MaryC on October 6, 2015  

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Channel' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2642

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Channel' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2245

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Channel' in Nouns Frequency: #795

How to pronounce Channel?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say Channel in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Channel in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Channel in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of Channel in a Sentence

1. The American singer:

   I miss them. Yeah, I wrote love songs about the Obamas, that's how I dealt with my sorrow and my grief honestly when they disappeared. So, I wrote them songs - they were 'I miss you songs.'... It was a sweet way to sort of channel sentiment that I didn't know where else to put.

2. Kyle Plush:

   Kyle Plush parents do it how Kyle Plush parents did it in the old days, write it down on an index card and the card is handed to someone somehow sending the person dispatching on that channel, he said. Plush suffocated after he became trapped under the third-row seat that flipped and pinned him while he was trying to reach his tennis equipment. The teenager told 911 operators where he was located, but authorities were not able to find him. A deputy sent to the scene soon after called in to report that he could n’t find anyone trapped in a van, and questioned if the call had been a prank. 911 DISPATCHER WHO ANSWERED CALL FROM BOY CRUSHED BY MINIVAN SEAT COMPLAINED ABOUT JOB DAYS BEFORE INCIDENT Police said Amber Smith, the 911 operator who answered Plush’s second call, failed to relay information to the additional officers who were at the scene. During the call, Plush explained to Smith the call was not a joke. I am trapped inside my gold Honda Odyssey van in the parking lot of the Seven Hills... Send officers immediately, Plush pleaded. I ’m almost dead.

3. Pierpaolo Marziali:

   But we stayed the course and never stopped producing, albeit at minimal levels, and that's put us in a strong position now since we have a kind of preferential channel. Our staff is regularly in Tehran and we're looking forward to relaunching production.

4. State Department aide David Holmes:

   I was surprised the requirement was so specific and concrete, while we had advised our Ukrainian counterparts to voice a commitment to following the rule of law and generally to investigating credible corruption allegations, this was a demand that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky personally commit to a specific investigation of President Trump's political rival on a cable news channel.

5. Jim Sutter:

   They'll obviously have to channel it so it doesn't go to the European market.

Images & Illustrations of Channel

Popularity rank by frequency of use