mooring

noun moor·ing \ -iŋ \

|Updated on: 7 Jul 2018

Examples: mooring in a Sentence

Definition of mooring

1 : an act of making fast a boat or aircraft with lines or anchors

2 a : a place where or an object to which something (such as a craft) can be moored

b : a device (such as a line or chain) by which an object is secured in place

3 : an established practice or stabilizing influence : anchorage 2 —usually used in plural

See mooring defined for English-language learners

See mooring defined for kids

Examples of mooring in a Sentence

We found a temporary mooring in the harbor.
The wind was strong enough to tear the boat from its moorings.

Recent Examples of mooring from the Web

With an expansive view of the ocean, Seaward has two private moorings for boats.

— candace taylor, WSJ, "Relisted Newport Estate Seeks to be Rhode Island’s Priciest Home," 28 June 2018
By one estimate, a French yacht slips its moorings on average for just ten days a year, and for America’s 12m recreational boats, typical annual usage is two weeks.

— The Economist, "Yacht-sharing startups vie to rule the waves," 21 June 2018
Rangers defenseman, Marc Staal, inadvertently put the puck in his own net before knocking the net off the moorings.

— USA TODAY, "Rookie goalie Jeff Glass leads Chicago Blackhawks over New York Rangers," 3 Jan. 2018
The worker ran along the dock and somehow jumped aboard the boat in the nick of time, only to grab the keys away from Watson and steer it back to the mooring.

— lisa ryan, The Cut, "The British Woman Who Tried to Steal a Yacht Is My New Favorite Scammer," 6 June 2018
Even as the People's Republic drifts further away from its Maoist moorings — and as Xi styles himself abroad as a defender of the capitalist order — his government is trying to cultivate loyalty to Marx as part of a broader nationalist platform.

— ishaan tharoor, Washington Post, "Why the specter of Marx still haunts the world," 8 May 2018
Black people had snapped their moorings to servitude and arrived at the advanced subjectivity lushly evinced by their art: their poems and paintings, their novels and spirituals.

— tobi haslett, The New Yorker, "The Man Who Led the Harlem Renaissance—and His Hidden Hungers," 11 May 2018
And, on another scoring play, the luckless Rask was unable to get the officials to notice a) that the goal had come off its moorings, and b) that the blade had come off one of his skates.

— charles p. pierce, SI.com, "There's a Silver Lining in Having So Many Complaints About NHL Playoff Officiating," 7 May 2018
The 23 pieces include both gold formations still clinging to the quartz stones on which they were found and pieces removed from their rocky moorings.

— susan dunne, courant.com, "Yale Peabody Displays 'California Gold'," 6 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mooring.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of mooring

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Nautical Terms

avast, aweigh, flotsam, jib, keel, lee, port, starboard, stay

MOORING Defined for English Language Learners

mooring

noun

Definition of mooring for English Language Learners

: a place where a boat or ship can be anchored or moored
moorings : the anchors, ropes, and cables that are used to hold a boat or ship in place

MOORING Defined for Kids

mooring

noun moor·ing \ ˈmu̇r-iŋ \

Definition of mooring for Students

1 : a place where a boat can be fastened so it will not float away

2 : a chain or line used to hold a boat in place

Learn More about mooring

See words that rhyme with mooring Spanish Central: Translation of mooring Nglish: Translation of mooring for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of mooring for Arabic speakers

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mooring

Definition of mooring

Examples of mooring in a Sentence

Recent Examples of mooring from the Web

First Known Use of mooring

Other Nautical Terms

MOORING Defined for English Language Learners

mooring

Definition of mooring for English Language Learners

MOORING Defined for Kids

mooring

Definition of mooring for Students

Learn More about mooring

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Examples of mooring in a Sentence

Recent Examples of mooring from the Web

First Known Use of mooring

Other Nautical Terms

MOORING Defined for English Language Learners

mooring

Definition of mooring for English Language Learners

MOORING Defined for Kids

mooring

Definition of mooring for Students

Learn More about mooring

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