fresh/just off the boat

phrase

informal

: recently arrived in a country

My parents met in New York when my father was fresh off the boat from Italy.

Examples of fresh/just off the boat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

One person Faurer memorably captured, in 1947, was his friend Frank, fresh off the boat and out on the job, beginning to search his new country for photographs. — Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2023

Browse Nearby Words

fresh in one's mind

fresh/just off the boat

Fresh Kills

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Fresh/just off the boat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fresh%2Fjust%20off%20the%20boat. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation