quay
gb/kˈi/ us/kˈi/
B2
English
~ 10000
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
entity
1
platform beside water for ships
A long, strong platform next to the water in a harbour or river where boats stop so that people or goods can get on or off.
Usage pattern:
[a ship] is tied up at the quay
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse the pronunciation and spelling of “quay.” In most modern English (especially British and international varieties), “quay” is pronounced like “key” /kiː/, not like “kway.” It is also sometimes confused with “pier” or “dock”; a quay usually runs along the shore, while a pier sticks out into the water, and “dock” may refer to either the platform or the water space where ships are repaired or loaded.
Synonyms
wharf (Very close in meaning; common in American and general English for a structure where ships load and unload, often used more generally than “quay.”)
|
dock (In everyday speech often refers to the place where ships are loaded and unloaded; technically can also mean the water area itself, not just the platform.)
|
pier (A structure built out into the water; often used for walking or leisure, while a quay is more clearly for loading and unloading ships.)
Antonyms
open sea (Contrasts a sheltered place where ships are tied up with water far from land where ships cannot load or unload.)
Collocations
busy quay
|fishing quay
|container quay
|along the quay
|at the quay
|quay wall
Themes
transport
|travel
|geography
|transportation
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- We sat on the quay and watched the fishing boats come in at sunset.
- The ferry leaves from the main quay on the north side of the harbour.
- Cargo was piled high along the quay, waiting to be loaded onto the next ship.
- A crowd gathered on the quay to welcome the returning sailors.
- New safety barriers were installed all along the quay after the accident.
Learner examples
- The boat is waiting at the quay.
- Many people are standing on the quay to see the ship.
- Trucks take boxes from the ship to the quay.
- There is a small café on the quay.
- The town built a new quay for tourist boats.
Verb
technical
C1
action
2
to provide an area with a quay
To build a quay (a strong wall and platform for ships) along part of a harbour or river.
Usage pattern:
to quay [a harbour / a stretch of river]
Common mistake:
Learners almost never use “quay” as a verb, and in modern English it is rare and mainly technical. In most situations, use the noun “quay” or more common verbs like “build a quay” instead of the verb “to quay.”
Synonyms
dock (In technical and planning contexts, "to dock" can overlap in meaning but is broader and more common; “to quay” specifically means to provide a quay structure.)
Antonyms
leave unquayed (Technical descriptive opposite: to not build quay structures along a stretch of shoreline.)
Collocations
to quay a harbour
|newly quayed waterfront
|quayed riverbank
Themes
transport
|engineering
|construction
|travel
|transportation
|work
Examples
- The eastern side of the harbour was quayed in the nineteenth century to handle growing trade.
- Plans have been approved to quay the riverfront and create additional berthing space for commercial vessels.
- Only the northern bank has been fully quayed; the opposite side remains natural shoreline.
Learner examples
- Engineers decided to quay this part of the harbour.
- They will quay the riverbank to make more space for ships.
- The old port was quayed many years ago.
Grammar
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.