freeboard
noun
free·board
ˈfrē-ˌbȯrd 
1
: the distance between the waterline and the main deck or weather deck of a ship or between the level of the water and the upper edge of the side of a small boat
2
: the height above the recorded high-water mark of a structure (such as a dam) associated with the water
Examples of freeboard in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Several experienced boaters pointed out that Pickles’ Chris-Craft appeared to have a low freeboard, the distance between the rim of the boat and the surface of the water.
—
Ethan Wolin
updated July 4, Sacbee.com, 4 July 2025
One problem was that DUKW’s low freeboard, a nautical term that describes the difference between the waterline and a vessel’s main deck.
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 17 Jan. 2023
Only a few small inches of freeboard lay between the water and the top of my gunwales.
—Florence Williams, Outside Online, 1 Feb. 2022
New Jersey and New York instituted two feet of freeboard after Superstorm Sandy.
—Alex Harris, sun-sentinel.com, 2 Dec. 2019
The present system is overdesigned for those surges, with earthen levees and concrete structures containing as much as 3 feet of extra storage space, or freeboard, to account for subsidence and sea level rise over their 50-year design life.
—Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com, 22 May 2018
Or consider Nashville, Tennessee, which has a freeboard of 4 feet.
—Thom Patterson, CNN, 31 Aug. 2017
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Ethan Wolin
updated July 4, Sacbee.com, 4 July 2025
One problem was that DUKW’s low freeboard, a nautical term that describes the difference between the waterline and a vessel’s main deck.
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 17 Jan. 2023
Only a few small inches of freeboard lay between the water and the top of my gunwales.
—Florence Williams, Outside Online, 1 Feb. 2022
New Jersey and New York instituted two feet of freeboard after Superstorm Sandy.
—Alex Harris, sun-sentinel.com, 2 Dec. 2019
The present system is overdesigned for those surges, with earthen levees and concrete structures containing as much as 3 feet of extra storage space, or freeboard, to account for subsidence and sea level rise over their 50-year design life.
—Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com, 22 May 2018
Or consider Nashville, Tennessee, which has a freeboard of 4 feet.
—Thom Patterson, CNN, 31 Aug. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Freeboard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freeboard. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
freeboard
noun
free·board
ˈfrē-ˌbō(ə)rd
-ˌbȯ(ə)rd
: the distance between the waterline and the upper edge of the side of a ship or boat
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