berth

1 of 2

noun

ˈbərth 

1

a

nautical : sufficient distance for maneuvering a ship

Keep a clear berth of the shoals.

b

: an amount of distance maintained for safety

give the fire a wide berth

giving him a wide berth until he is in a better mood

2

a

: the place where a ship lies when at anchor or at a wharf

was docked at her usual berth

b

: a space for an automotive vehicle at rest

a truck-loading berth

3

: a place to sit or sleep especially on a ship or vehicle : accommodation

a comfortable cabin with a deep berth

an upper berth

4

a

: a billet (see billet entry 1 sense 2a) on a ship

… waiting for a berth as a ship's surgeon …

—Bernard Keelan

b

: job, position, place

a starting berth on the team

berth

2 of 2

verb

berthed; berthing; berths

transitive verb

1

: to bring (something, such as a ship or automotive vehicle) into a berth

The ship was berthed at this pier.

2

: to allot quarters or accommodations to : to allot a berth to

a place to berth the crew

intransitive verb

: to come into a berth

where the ship typically berths

Synonyms of berth

Noun

• position
• job

Examples of berth in a Sentence

Noun

a comfortable cabin with a deep berth

He has a starting berth on the all-star team.

Verb

The ship was berthed at this pier.

The ship berthed at this pier.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Houston managed to keep its season alive last week with a victory over the lowly Tennessee Titans, but there’s still almost no margin for error if a postseason berth is on the cards. — Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026

The size of the boat, the distance from the tow boat's berth and how bad the boat is stuck will all factor into the final invoice. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Verb

Rather, it's grappled by Canadarm2, which berths it to the station and moves it around in other ways as necessary. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 9 Oct. 2026

With a depth of 55 feet, the LIT is designed to berth two Neopanamax container ships, each hosting up to 16,000 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of capacity. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English birth, probably from beren to bear + -th

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1667, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing berth

• give (someone or something) a wide berth

Rhymes for berth

• birth
• dearth
• earth
• firth
• girth
• mirth
• worth
• afterbirth
• childbirth
• rebirth
• stillbirth
• tamworth

Kids Definition

berth

1 of 2 noun

ˈbərth 

1

a

: enough room to maneuver a ship

b

: a safe distance

give it wide berth

2

: a place where a ship lies at anchor or at a wharf

3

: a place to sleep on a ship or train

4

: job sense 3, position

berth

2 of 2 verb

: to bring or come into a berth