The word dock in American English refers to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships. In British English, the term is not used the same way as in American English, it is used to mean the area of water that is next to or around a wharf or quay. The exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language.
Dock for cruise ships in Sint Maarten in the Caribbean
Docks in St. Petersburg, Russia
Partially backfilled dry dock of the former Valmet Vuosaari Shipyard in Vuosaari, Helsinki, Finland
A small dry dock in Gloucester, England
A wharf, quay, staith, or staithe 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, and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships. Wharves are often considered to be a series of docks at which boats are stationed. A marginal wharf is connected to the shore along its full length.
The Barbours Cut Terminal of the Port of Houston, US. This cargo shipping terminal has a single large wharf with multiple berths.
Wharf under construction on the Upper Mississippi in Fountain City, Wisconsin
Quay in Dublin, Ireland. The Irish language term cé is a borrowing from Anglo-Norman kay, cail.
Stereoscopic view of Long Wharf in Boston, United States, c. 19th century, jutting into Boston Harbor
