boat

1 of 2

noun

ˈbōt 

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

ˈbōt-ˌfu̇l 

noun

boatlike

ˈbōt-ˌlīk 

adjective

see also in the same boat

boat

2 of 2

verb

boated; boating; boats

transitive verb

: to place in or bring into a boat

intransitive verb

: to go by boat

Synonyms of boat

Noun

• vessel
• yacht
• canoe
• kayak
• raft

Verb

• sail
• ferry

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

Exploring by boat or paddleboard is also a great way to find hidden areas that feel like your own private beach. —Liz Provencher, Travel + Leisure, 9 Jan. 2026

Also, the hospitality group purchased and is restoring The Lady Kate river cruise boat that has sailed the Connecticut River for decades previously under various names, including Camelot cruises and The Lady Katharine, a nod to the late actress and Connecticut resident Katharine Hepburn. —Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 9 Jan. 2026

Verb

Between wading or boating into choppy surf, baking in the hot sun, and getting doused in salty spray, the elements are brutal on the human body and the gear meant to withstand them. —Francesca Krempa, Outside, 9 Jan. 2026

The Coral Gables man operating the boat that ran over and killed a 15-year-old girl wakeboarding behind a yacht in Biscayne Bay pleaded guilty to misdemeanor careless-boating charges Monday in a Miami-Dade County court. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2026

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

Phrases Containing boat

• assault boat
• boat hook
• boat people
• boat shoe
• boat train
• flying boat
• fresh/just off the boat
• jolly boat
• miss the boat
• motor torpedo boat
• narrow boat
• pedal boat
• PT boat
• push the boat out
• Q-boat
• rock the boat
• rowing boat
• swan boat
• torpedo boat
• U-boat

Rhymes for boat

• bloat
• choate
• coat
• cote
• dote
• float
• gloat
• goat
• groat
• haute
• moat
• mote

Kids Definition

boat

1 of 2 noun

ˈbōt 

1

: a small vessel for travel on water

2

: ship entry 1 sense 1

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