boat

1 of 2

noun

plural boats
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

boat

2 of 2

verb

boated; boating; boats

transitive verb

: to place in or bring into a boat

intransitive verb

: to go by boat
Phrases
in the same boat
: in the same situation or predicament

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
Noun
Located along the southern tip of South America and only accessible by boat or plane, this remote city with a population of around 2,800 residents is billed as the southern-most populated city on Earth. Michelle Gross, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024 Man and his dog rescued from disabled boat 25 miles out to sea as Hurricane Helene approached The woman, who has not been publicly identified, was tracked down using a location-sharing app on her phone. Julia Reinstein, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2024
Verb
With a little help from neighbors and locals in the boating community, the duo got connected with Alex Vogt, the grandchild of a man who once lived on the shrimp boat. Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 30 Sep. 2024 This entails freely walking or swimming from boat to boat and is very much encouraged. Rob Reed, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for boat 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'boat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near boat

Cite this Entry

“Boat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boat. Accessed 15 Oct. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on boat

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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