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quay

noun
\ ˈkē How to pronounce quay (audio) , ˈkā How to pronounce quay (audio) , ˈkwā How to pronounce quay (audio) \

Definition of quay

: a structure built parallel to the bank of a waterway for use as a landing place
Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about quay

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Examples of quay in a Sentence

docked the ferry at the quay to let the passengers off

Recent Examples on the Web

 Listen to live Irish music, replete with the traditional sounds of fiddles and spoons; draft a series of profiles on local shopkeepers; or photograph everyday life on the streets of Galway and the quays along the River Corrib. — National Geographic, "Ireland High School Expedition," 12 June 2019 In any case, nothing was doing along the quay today. — Bruce Dale, National Geographic, "Adored, neglected, and restored: A 1968 Nat Geo feature explored Notre Dame," 17 Apr. 2019 Old men fished along its quays despite the rattle of German machine guns. — Bruce Dale, National Geographic, "Adored, neglected, and restored: A 1968 Nat Geo feature explored Notre Dame," 17 Apr. 2019 As the city expanded and industrialized, its churches and monuments became blackened with soot and grime; its quays, cluttered with warehouses and frequented by prostitutes. — Molly Wizenberg, Town & Country, "Vintage Bordeaux," 14 Jan. 2013 DP World brought in modern cargo equipment to the port at Berbera and plans to start extending the quay this month. — Matina Stevis-gridneff, WSJ, "Middle East Power Struggle Plays Out on New Stage," 1 June 2018 The maps also show a turning basin with two quays, evidencing that the Gormley Canal was not primarily designed for drainage, since docks would have blocked the flow of runoff. — Richard Campanella, NOLA.com, "A canal in Central City? Little-known waterway once connected city to swamp," 6 Mar. 2018 Order a jar of olives and stay a while, or continue a wine pilgrimage to the under-a-bridge locale of Rosforth & Rosforth, an influential wine importer that hosts weekly tastings and summertime pop-ups on the quay. — New York Times, "36 Hours in Copenhagen," 26 Apr. 2018 There was Bruce, standing on the quay in glo-yellow Crocs, next to Lee Marie: 57 feet long, not quite 7 feet wide, its boxy superstructure as shiny-black as a mobster’s coffin. — Dan Neil, WSJ, "The Low-Cost Way to Live Abroad: Buy a Boat," 30 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'quay.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of quay

1561, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for quay

alteration of earlier key, from Middle English, from Middle French dialect (Picard) kay, probably of Celt origin; akin to Breton kae hedge, enclosure; akin to Old English hecg hedge

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More Definitions for quay

quay

noun
How to pronounce quay (audio) How to pronounce quay (audio) How to pronounce quay (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of quay

: a structure built on the land next to a river, lake, or ocean that is used as a place for boats to stop for loading and unloading freight and passengers

See the full definition for quay in the English Language Learners Dictionary

quay

noun
\ ˈkē How to pronounce quay (audio) , ˈkwā\

Kids Definition of quay

: a structure built along the bank of a waterway (as a river) for use as a landing for loading and unloading boats

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