wharf
/wɔːf/ (bre, ipa) · /wɔːrf/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈ(h)wȯrf/ (ame, mw)
wharf — noun
- wharfsingular
- wharvesplural
1. a long flat platform built beside a harbour or river, where ships stop so people
a long flat platform built beside a harbour or river, where ships stop so people can put cargo on or take it off.
Every morning, Anong watched the fishing boats tie up at the wooden wharf.
collocation: tie up at the wharf
Rohan used a crane to lower heavy crates from the cargo ship onto the wharf.
pattern: lower [cargo] onto the wharf
Mira and her grandfather walked along the old stone wharf as ferries crossed the bay.
After years of winter storms, the village wharf needed fresh planks and new iron rails.
During the seafood festival, food stalls lined the wharf and offered grilled fish to visitors.
- quay
British English; stone or concrete platform built flush with the shoreline.
- pier
Sticks out into the water on pillars; often used for passengers or leisure rather than cargo.
- dock
Broader term; can mean the water area between wharves, or the wharf itself in casual American use.
- jetty
Smaller landing platform, often for small boats; less suited to heavy cargo.
用法筆記
Distinguish from 'pier' and 'dock': a wharf is a long platform built flat against the shoreline, while a 'pier' projects out into the water on pillars and a 'dock' often refers to the enclosed water area where ships stop. Plural forms are 'wharves' (more common) or 'wharfs'.