yacht

verb

yachted; yachting; yachts

intransitive verb

: to race or cruise in a yacht

Examples of yacht in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Set the scene Gardiner House makes a good first impression; its big-windowed, white-clapboard, three-story facade set against the blues of the sky above and yacht marina behind. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2026

Turner owned professional sports teams in Atlanta, defended the America’s Cup in yachting in 1977 and donated a stunning $1 billion to United Nations charities. —David Bauder, Fortune, 6 May 2026

Turner, an avid sailor, won the America's Cup in yachting in 1977 and subsequently appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. —Patricio Chile, ABC News, 6 May 2026

Both yachts Nutkis purchased showcase the same aerodynamic silhouette and sharp axe bow, with exteriors designed in collaboration with Guido de Groot. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 27 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing yacht

• land yacht
• yacht club
• yacht rock

Rhymes for yacht

• aught
• baht
• blot
• bott
• bought
• brought
• caught
• clot
• cot
• cott
• dot
• fought

Kids Definition

yacht

1 of 2 noun

ˈyät 

: a fairly small ship used for pleasure cruising or racing

yacht

2 of 2 verb

: to race or cruise in a yacht

Etymology

from obsolete Dutch jaght (now jacht), short for jachtschip, literally, "hunting ship"

Word Origin

In the 16th century, the Dutch were being attacked by pirates and smugglers who managed to escape after their raids because their ships were much faster than the heavy warships used by the Dutch. To solve the problem, the Dutch began building smaller, sleeker, faster craft. This new kind of craft was called a jaght (later spelled jacht) in Dutch. The word was derived from the Dutch phrase jachtschip, literally meaning "hunting ship." In 1660, the Dutch East India Company presented one of these boats to England's King Charles II. He used it for a pleasure boat rather than for chasing pirates. Soon, other wealthy Englishmen wanted boats just like the king's. The style was then copied and improved over the years. The name for this craft also went through a number of changes over the years, from the original jaght, taken from the Dutch, to the yacht spelling we have today.