Phrases
to the gunwales
: as fully as possible
The doorbell rang, and Flanagan let in his wife, who was loaded to the gunwales with groceries.—
Whitney Balliett
Whitney Balliett
Examples of gunwale in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Our red test Raider was decked out to the gunwales but didn't cost a second mortgage.
—Rich Ceppos, Car and Driver, 1 July 2023
Wisely, the designers added gunwale handhelds from the cockpit to the tip of the boat.
—Kevin Koenig, Robb Report, 19 Apr. 2023
Each model features sleek lines, sculpted gunwales around the bow and glazing that runs from hull to superstructure.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 15 Feb. 2023
The upper arm extends diagonally across your body as though delivering a cross-punch and finishes on the outside of the gunwale (top edge of the canoe).
—Michael Stillwell, Popular Mechanics, 27 Mar. 2023
The first: The boat had a glass transom and open gunwales to both port and starboard that made the cockpit feel larger than its actual physical dimensions.
—Kevin Koenig, Robb Report, 21 Mar. 2023
The weight of that many passengers caused rising waves to lap at the tops of the gunwale — the lone protector against catastrophic swamping.
—Bryce Miller Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2021
But if the cormorants are being hunted, what explains the presence on each boat of an unperturbed bird perched on the gunwale?
—Washington Post, 23 June 2021
On a recent visit, shipwright Matteo Tamassia, whose gondolas can take a month or more to construct, discussed an improvement to the gunwale with a fellow boat-maker who dropped by.
—Avedis Hadjian, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 June 2021
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Rich Ceppos, Car and Driver, 1 July 2023
Wisely, the designers added gunwale handhelds from the cockpit to the tip of the boat.
—Kevin Koenig, Robb Report, 19 Apr. 2023
Each model features sleek lines, sculpted gunwales around the bow and glazing that runs from hull to superstructure.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 15 Feb. 2023
The upper arm extends diagonally across your body as though delivering a cross-punch and finishes on the outside of the gunwale (top edge of the canoe).
—Michael Stillwell, Popular Mechanics, 27 Mar. 2023
The first: The boat had a glass transom and open gunwales to both port and starboard that made the cockpit feel larger than its actual physical dimensions.
—Kevin Koenig, Robb Report, 21 Mar. 2023
The weight of that many passengers caused rising waves to lap at the tops of the gunwale — the lone protector against catastrophic swamping.
—Bryce Miller Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2021
But if the cormorants are being hunted, what explains the presence on each boat of an unperturbed bird perched on the gunwale?
—Washington Post, 23 June 2021
On a recent visit, shipwright Matteo Tamassia, whose gondolas can take a month or more to construct, discussed an improvement to the gunwale with a fellow boat-maker who dropped by.
—Avedis Hadjian, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 June 2021
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gunwale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English gonne-wale, from gonne gun + wale entry 1; from its former use as a support for guns
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of gunwale was
in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near gunwale
Cite this Entry
“Gunwale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gunwale. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.
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