Illustration of ketch
: a fore-and-aft rigged vessel similar to a yawl but with a larger mizzen sail and with the mizzenmast stepped farther forward
Examples of ketch in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And through such buffetings Constance’s little ketch had run aground.
—
Jim Shepard, New Yorker, 8 June 2025
One 203-feet sailing ketch called Simena which will have an on-deck Jacuzzi, six guest cabins and ample exterior deck spaces.
—Katia Damborsky, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Photo : Perini Navi ‘Badis,’ 230 Feet, 2016 Perini Navi
Originally launched as Sybaris in 2016 for experienced yachtsman Bill Duker, Badis is an all-aluminum ketch built by Italian shipyard Perini Navi.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 16 Dec. 2024
The vessel’s 328-foot submersible aft deck—a feature that first attracted her new owner, who uses OK to transport their 150-foot ketch—is now covered in a carpet of artificial grass.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2024
Perkins had amassed a fleet of vessels over a 25-year period that included the 141-foot Perini Navi Andromeda la Dea, a 154-foot ketch of the same name, and the Herreshoff classic Mariette of 1915.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 23 Feb. 2024
That made Sir Robin, as he’s now known, the first person to complete a nonstop, single-handed circumnavigation, aboard his 32-foot ketch Suhaili. McIntyre, a former offshore racer, resurrected the 50th-anniversary rendition of the race in 2018.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 17 July 2022
Now those waters—especially as plied aboard a traditional Turkish gulet or ketch (wooden sailing yacht)—are one of the world’s most popular sailing destinations, and a wish-list item for even wanna-be sailors.
—Ann Abel, Forbes, 27 June 2022
It was taken by crew members on a ketch that sailed near the island of Java in the summer of 2019.
—Michelle Nijhuis, Scientific American, 20 July 2022
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.
Jim Shepard, New Yorker, 8 June 2025
One 203-feet sailing ketch called Simena which will have an on-deck Jacuzzi, six guest cabins and ample exterior deck spaces.
—Katia Damborsky, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Photo : Perini Navi ‘Badis,’ 230 Feet, 2016 Perini Navi
Originally launched as Sybaris in 2016 for experienced yachtsman Bill Duker, Badis is an all-aluminum ketch built by Italian shipyard Perini Navi.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 16 Dec. 2024
The vessel’s 328-foot submersible aft deck—a feature that first attracted her new owner, who uses OK to transport their 150-foot ketch—is now covered in a carpet of artificial grass.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2024
Perkins had amassed a fleet of vessels over a 25-year period that included the 141-foot Perini Navi Andromeda la Dea, a 154-foot ketch of the same name, and the Herreshoff classic Mariette of 1915.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 23 Feb. 2024
That made Sir Robin, as he’s now known, the first person to complete a nonstop, single-handed circumnavigation, aboard his 32-foot ketch Suhaili. McIntyre, a former offshore racer, resurrected the 50th-anniversary rendition of the race in 2018.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 17 July 2022
Now those waters—especially as plied aboard a traditional Turkish gulet or ketch (wooden sailing yacht)—are one of the world’s most popular sailing destinations, and a wish-list item for even wanna-be sailors.
—Ann Abel, Forbes, 27 June 2022
It was taken by crew members on a ketch that sailed near the island of Java in the summer of 2019.
—Michelle Nijhuis, Scientific American, 20 July 2022
Cite this Entry
“Ketch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ketch. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ketch
noun
: a two-masted fore-and-aft-rigged ship
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share