wharves

variants also wharfs
Definition of wharvesnext
plural of wharf
as in docks
a structure used by boats and ships for taking on or landing cargo and passengers tied the rowboat up at the wharf

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wharves The wharves and warehouses along Pratt Street burned fiercely. Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2026 The infrastructure humans build in the water ‒ houses, piers, wharves, jetties, and even oil rigs ‒ create new habitats for juvenile jellyfish, called polyps, to attach and grow, Bologna said. N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2025 Maybe wind your way around the neighborhood’s old wharfs and small brick houses; or lock up your bike and check out an exhibition at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, then grab lunch at the kitschy crab shack Brooklyn Crab. Francesca Carington, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Jan. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wharves
Noun
  • Between damp docks, muddy trails, and the occasional drizzle, they were quickly soaked and scuffed.
    Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Photos and videos of Chonkers hopping onto docks and perching among his smaller California sea lion friends have garnered thousands of views on social media.
    Greta Cross, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Anyone who’s seen 2021’s Riverside Main Library, an equally futuristic building elevated on piers, will recognize the Geffen as a distant cousin.
    David Allen, Daily News, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Expensive stainless steel on the outer layer of rebar on the piers in the sea help prevent corrosion.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Wine is embedded in the city’s architecture, history and daily life, from grand 18th-century façades to the bustling quays of the Garonne.
    Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
  • According to Vantor, the image shows the construction of a dry dock and new quays and piers at one of China’s most strategically important bases.
    Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 8 Dec. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wharves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wharves. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

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