buoy

1 of 2

noun

ˈbü-ē  ˈbȯi 

1

: float sense 2

especially, nautical : a floating object moored to the bottom to mark a channel or something (such as a shoal) lying under the water

swam out toward the buoy

2

: life buoy

Illustration of buoy

• buoy 1

buoy

2 of 2

verb

buoyed; buoying; buoys

transitive verb

1

: to mark by or as if by a float or buoy

buoy an anchor

2

a

: to keep afloat

a raft buoyed by empty oil drums

b

: support, uplift

… an economy buoyed by the dramatic postwar growth of industry …

—Time

3

: to raise the spirits of

—usually used with up

hope buoys him up

intransitive verb

: float

—usually used with up

They buoyed up like a cork.

Examples of buoy in a Sentence

Verb

The tax breaks should help to buoy the economy.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The first interdiction took place Monday near the Fort Lauderdale sea buoy, where Coast Guard crews and a CBP Office of Field Operations K9 unit stopped a vessel suspected of drug smuggling. —Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2026

In fact, a rogue buoy that broke free from its mooring last winter collected some of the first data scientists have on what happens when waves and ice collide. —Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 12 Feb. 2026

Verb

For example, consider the 2010 NSF grant that helped ImageNet spark the deep-learning boom, or the $25 million DARPA contract that same year, which buoyed Nvidia at a moment when non-gaming uses for GPUs looked like a non-starter. —Erik German, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2026

That builds on similar trends throughout 2025, when the industry buoyed an otherwise slow labor market, as the nation’s hospitals, clinics and nursing homes kept hiring even as many employers pulled back. —Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English boye, probably from Middle Dutch boeye; akin to Old High German bouhhan sign — more at beacon

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1596, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing buoy

• bell buoy
• breeches buoy
• life buoy

Rhymes for buoy

• chewy
• dewy
• gooey
• ennui

Kids Definition

buoy

1 of 2 noun

ˈbü-ē  ˈbȯi 

1

: a floating object anchored in a body of water to mark a channel or warn of danger

2

: life buoy

buoy

2 of 2 verb

1

: to keep from sinking : keep afloat

2

: to brighten the mood of

the news buoyed him up