wharf

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wharf

/ˈwɔːf/ UK
/ˈwɔɹf/ US
/ˈʍɔɹf/

Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)f

Where it comes from

From Middle English wharf, from Old English hwearf (“heap, embankment, wharf”); related to Old English hweorfan (“to turn”), Old Saxon hwerf (whence German Werft and Warft), Dutch werf, Old High German hwarb (“a turn”), hwerban (“to turn”), Old Norse hvarf (“circle”), and Ancient Greek καρπός (karpós, “wrist”).

noun wharves · wharfs

An artificial landing place for ships on a riverbank or shore. Commerce pushes its wharves into the sea.
Similar: dock, quay
obsolete Any bank of a river or shore of a sea. the fat weed that roots itself in ease on Lethe wharf

verb wharfs · wharfing · wharfed

transitive To secure by a wharf.
transitive To place on a wharf.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: dock, harbour, wharfage, dockside, docks, quay, port, pier, jetty, anchor, ferry, waterfront, berth, shore, terminal, landing

Translations

Every language

noun artificial landing place

Español	embarcadero, muelle
한국어	부두 budu, 선창 seonchang
日本語	波止場 hatoba, 埠頭 futō, 桟橋 sanbashi
中文	碼頭 /码头 mǎtóu, 港埠 gǎngbù, 埠頭 /埠头 bùtóu
हिन्दी	घाट ghāṭ, जेटी jeṭī
Português	cais, embarcadoiro, ancoradouro, fundeadouro, embarcadouro
Français	quai, appontement
Deutsch	Kai, Wharf
Italiano	attracco
Ελληνικά	αποβάθρα apováthra
Română	chei, doc
Русский	при́стань prístanʹ, прича́л pričál, док dok
Tiếng Việt	bến tàu
العربية	رَصِيف raṣīf

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MLA

"wharf." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/wharf. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

wharf. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/wharf

Chicago

"wharf." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/wharf.

BibTeX

@misc{wharf_2026,
  title = {wharf},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/wharf},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}