Skip to main content
wharf

wharf

36 6.7
A long platform by the water where ships stop to load and unload
  • noun
  • /wɔrf/
translation icon : muelle
  • Christina was on the wharf, waiting for her mother to come in on Frankie's boat.

In fact, CNN came out with a report in the last month that simply a three foot sea level rise will cost trillions of dollars around the planet on simply fixing the wharfs.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Fishermen left their nets and flocked onto the wharf; women came away from the fish racks to join them.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Sis led the way to a small stone wharf where a wooden boat was docked.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • A second band on the wharf joined the music on the ship.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The port was a long curve with a wide wharf going out into the water.

    Blog text (12)
  • You can steal from a wharf and load the goods in your wagon.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Down on the wharf, a dock goon kneels beside a metal suitcase and opens it.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Crowds frantically wave on the wharf as the liner prepares for departure.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The cargo was delivered to the wharf where the workers quickly unloaded the goods.

  • During the summer, tourists often gather at the wharf to watch the boats come in.

  • The fishing boats were lined up neatly along the wharf, ready for the day's catch.

Synonyms

dock
vswharf
197 1.6

A platform by the water where boats tie up to load or unload

is mainly beside the shore for loading and unloading rather than mooring
pier
vswharf
125 1.4

A long platform that goes out from the shore into the water for boats and people

is a shore structure that can lie alongside water as well as extend outward
landing
vswharf
57 2.6

A platform at the edge of the water where boats stop to let people or goods on and off

is built for ships beside the shore, not just for boats at the edge
quay
vswharf
8 8.2

A raised path by the water where ships load and unload

is a general platform beside water that can lie along or extend out
1 3.7

A place in a harbour where ships stop to be loaded, unloaded, or repaired

is mainly for loading and unloading beside the shore, not for repairs
embarcadero
vswharf
  • US
9.9

A place by the water where ships stop to load people or goods

is the shore structure built along or out from water for loading ships
landing place
vswharf
3.1

A place on the shore where boats stop to load or unload people and things

is a shore-built platform for ships to dock and load, not a simple spot
wharfage
vswharf
  • Archaic
9.8

A platform that extends from the shore into the water where ships load and unload

is used beside or projecting from the shore, not only built out on piles

Compounds

wharf rat
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who lives near docks and steals from ships or warehouses

8.0

A brown animal like a mouse that lives on docks and eats bait

How Big

terminal
76 3.5
wharf
36 6.7
quay
8 8.2
pier
125 1.4
jetty
10 5.1
landing
57 2.6

Surface Forms

wharf singular
wharfs plural
wharves plural

Etymology

Wharf comes from an old English word hwearf meaning 'bank' or 'shore'. Think of a raised place beside the water where boats come in to load and unload, so a wharf is a spot for ships to dock and move cargo.