Wharf vs. Dock — What's the Difference?

A wharf, quay (, also ), or staith(e) is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring locations), and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.

A platform extending from a shore over water, used to secure, protect, and provide access to a boat or ship; a pier.

A level quayside area to which a ship may be moored to load and unload.

Docks An area along a commercial waterfront having docks or piers.

A pier where ships or boats are tied up and loaded or unloaded.

The area of water between two piers or alongside a pier that receives a vessel for loading, unloading, or repairs

(Obsolete) A shore or riverbank.

A floating platform attached to a mooring and used as a rest or play area when swimming.

To moor (a vessel) at a wharf.

A platform or door at which trucks or trains load or unload cargo.

To take to or store (cargo) on a wharf.

(Computers) See docking station.

To furnish, equip, or protect with wharves or a wharf.

The solid or fleshy part of an animal's tail.

To berth at a wharf.

The tail of an animal after it has been bobbed or clipped.

A man-made landing place for ships on a shore or river bank.

A demarcated or enclosed space where the defendant stands or sits in a court of law.

The bank of a river, or the shore of the sea.

See sorrel1.

(transitive) To secure by a wharf.

To maneuver (a vessel or vehicle) into or next to a dock.

(transitive) To place on a wharf.

To couple (two or more spacecraft, for example) in space.

A structure or platform of timber, masonry, iron, earth, or other material, built on the shore of a harbor, river, canal, or the like, and usually extending from the shore to deep water, so that vessels may lie close alongside to receive and discharge cargo, passengers, etc.; a quay; a pier.

To move or come into or next to a dock.

The bank of a river, or the shore of the sea.

To clip short or cut off (an animal's tail, for example).

To guard or secure by a firm wall of timber or stone constructed like a wharf; to furnish with a wharf or wharfs.

To deprive of a benefit or a part of one's wages, especially as a punishment

To place upon a wharf; to bring to a wharf.

To withhold or deduct a part from (one's salary or wages).

A platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats

Any of the genus Rumex of coarse weedy plants with small green flowers related to buckwheat, especially bitter dock (Rumex obtusifolius), and used as potherbs and in folk medicine, especially in curing nettle rash.

Provide with a wharf;

A burdock plant, or the leaves of that plant.

Store on a wharf;

The fleshy root of an animal's tail.

Discharge at a wharf;

The part of the tail which remains after the tail has been docked.

Come into or dock at a wharf;

(obsolete) The buttocks or anus.

Moor at a wharf;

A leather case to cover the clipped or cut tail of a horse.

(nautical) A fixed structure attached to shore to which a vessel is secured when in port.

A structure attached to shore for loading and unloading vessels.

The body of water between two piers.

The place of arrival and departure of a train in a railway station.

A section of a hotel or restaurant.

(electronics) A device designed as a base for holding a connected portable appliance such as a laptop computer (in this case, referred to as a docking station), or a mobile telephone, for providing the necessary electrical charge for its autonomy, or as a hardware extension for additional capabilities.

A toolbar that provides the user with a way of launching applications, and switching between running applications.

An act of docking; joining two things together.

(theatre) scene-dock

Part of a courtroom where the accused sits.

(transitive) To cut off a section of an animal's tail, to practise a caudectomy.

(transitive) To reduce (wages); to deduct from.

(transitive) To cut off, bar, or destroy.

(intransitive) To land at a harbour.

To join two moving items.

(astronautics) To move a spaceship into its dock/berth under its own power.

To engage in the sexual practice of docking (where the tip of one participant's penis is inserted into the foreskin of the other participant).

To drag a user interface element (such as a toolbar) to a position on screen where it snaps into place.

(transitive) To place (an electronic device) in its dock.

(cooking) To pierce with holes, as pricking pastry or dough with a fork to prevent excessive rising in the oven.

A genus of plants (Rumex), some species of which are well-known weeds which have a long taproot and are difficult of extermination.

The solid part of an animal's tail, as distinguished from the hair; the stump of a tail; the part of a tail left after clipping or cutting.

A case of leather to cover the clipped or cut tail of a horse.

An artificial basin or an inclosure in connection with a harbor or river, - used for the reception of vessels, and provided with gates for keeping in or shutting out the tide.

The slip or water way extending between two piers or projecting wharves, for the reception of ships; - sometimes including the piers themselves; as, to be down on the dock.

The place in court where a criminal or accused person stands.

To cut off, as the end of a thing; to curtail; to cut short; to clip; as, to dock the tail of a horse.

To cut off a part from; to shorten; to deduct from; to subject to a deduction; as, to dock one's wages.

To cut off, bar, or destroy; as, to dock an entail.

To draw, law, or place (a ship) in a dock, for repairing, cleaning the bottom, etc.

An enclosure in a court of law where the defendant sits during the trial

Any of certain coarse weedy plants with long taproots, sometimes used as table greens or in folk medicine

A platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats

A platform where trucks or trains can be loaded or unloaded

Landing in a harbor next to a pier where ships are loaded and unloaded or repaired; may have gates to let water in or out;

The solid bony part of the tail of an animal as distinguished from the hair

A short or shortened tail of certain animals

Come into dock;

Deprive someone of benefits, as a penalty

Deduct from someone's wages

Remove or shorten the tail of an animal

Haul into a dock;