1
: one who travels in a boat
2
: a stiff hat usually made of braided straw with a brim, hatband, and flat crown
Examples of boater in a Sentence
a favorite spot for pleasure boaters
Recent Examples on the Web
Officials say a boater found the car in the waters off Tidwell Park on Monday morning.
—
Dan Raby, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
The situation has the potential to impact many Americans – including travelers, boaters, storm victims and tens of thousands of DHS employees – for an indefinite period of time.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
In the aftermath of the attack on the group’s rescue planes, which scoured the Florida Straits in search of Cuban boaters and rafters attempting to flee the repressive Castro regime, President Bill Clinton implemented sweeping sanctions against the island.
—Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
The shop’s towering shelves are piled with fedoras, porkpies, boaters, and flat caps in the usual colors—browns, blacks, blues—as well as the hues of cantaloupe flesh, crème de violette, and raspberry sherbet.
—David Kamp, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for boater
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dan Raby, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
The situation has the potential to impact many Americans – including travelers, boaters, storm victims and tens of thousands of DHS employees – for an indefinite period of time.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
In the aftermath of the attack on the group’s rescue planes, which scoured the Florida Straits in search of Cuban boaters and rafters attempting to flee the repressive Castro regime, President Bill Clinton implemented sweeping sanctions against the island.
—Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
The shop’s towering shelves are piled with fedoras, porkpies, boaters, and flat caps in the usual colors—browns, blacks, blues—as well as the hues of cantaloupe flesh, crème de violette, and raspberry sherbet.
—David Kamp, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for boater
Cite this Entry
“Boater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boater. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boater
noun
boat·er
ˈbōt-ər 
1
: a person who travels in a boat
2
: a stiff straw hat
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
