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
Mark LaNeve
see also:
boated; boating; boats
: to place in or bring into a boat
: 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
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Feb. 2026
Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said the payments cover long-lead items that will enable early work on the propulsion systems of Australia’s first two SSN-AUKUS boats to be built at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia later this decade.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Feb. 2026
Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2026
Currently, two island communities north of Miami Beach are trying to tamp down the noise offshore from a boating party that drifted their way after the dredging of the nearby Haulover Sandbar several years ago.
—Douglas Hanks, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for boat
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Noun
The team is reachable via text or WhatsApp, responsive and warm, happy to arrange a boat or send a buggy when the walk down to the beach feels ambitious.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Feb. 2026
Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said the payments cover long-lead items that will enable early work on the propulsion systems of Australia’s first two SSN-AUKUS boats to be built at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia later this decade.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Feb. 2026
Verb
Monroe Lake, Indiana's largest lake, sits just minutes from downtown Bloomington and is an ideal place to boat, swim, and camp.
—Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2026
Currently, two island communities north of Miami Beach are trying to tamp down the noise offshore from a boating party that drifted their way after the dredging of the nearby Haulover Sandbar several years ago.
—Douglas Hanks, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for boat
Cite this Entry
“Boat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boat. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boat
1 of 2 noun1
: a small vessel for travel on water
3
: a boat-shaped utensil
gravy boat
boat
2 of 2 verb1
: to put into or carry in a boat
2
: to travel by boat
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