boat

1 of 2

noun

plural boats
Synonyms of boatnext
1
a
: a small vessel for travel on water
b
: ship
2
: a boat-shaped container, utensil, or device
a gravy boat
a laboratory boat
3
informal : a large car
A lot of people still think Cadillac makes big floaty boats.Mark LaNeve
boatful noun
boatlike adjective
see also:

boat

2 of 2

verb

boated; boating; boats

transitive verb

: to place in or bring into a boat

intransitive verb

: to go by boat

Examples of boat in a Sentence

Noun He tied the boat to the dock. Cruise ships and other boats filled the harbor. traveling by boat across the ocean Verb We boated over to the island. boated to the picnic site on an island in the bay
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Take a summer boat trip for a close-up sighting before rounding off the day with a seafood platter at The Old Boathouse, which features hot and cold smoked salmon, pickled herring, mussels, and dressed crab. Rob Crossan, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 May 2026 The Iranians tried to enter Kuwait on May 1 aboard a fishing boat and clashed with Kuwaiti soliders, Kuwaiti state media said. Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
Verb
The program primarily encourages life jacket usage, but also urges general responsible boating practices like not consuming alcohol before operating a vessel. Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 14 May 2026 Paul later pleads not guilty to felony charges of boating under the influence and causing Beach's death. Bill Chappell, NPR, 13 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for boat

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English boot, from Old English bāt; akin to Old Norse beit boat

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of boat was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Boat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boat. Accessed 17 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

boat

1 of 2 noun
1
: a small vessel for travel on water
2
3
: a boat-shaped utensil
gravy boat

boat

2 of 2 verb
1
: to put into or carry in a boat
2
: to travel by boat

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