whaleboat

noun

whale·​boat ˈ(h)wāl-ˌbōt 

1

: a long narrow rowboat made with both ends sharp and raking, often steered with an oar, and formerly used by whalers for hunting whales

2

: a long narrow rowboat or motorboat resembling the original whaleboats and often carried by warships and merchant ships

Examples of whaleboat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In Robert Brill’s set, the stage is shaped like a half-pipe with rungs, so that cast members scramble, pitch, tumble, and row flimsy whaleboats over massive waves. —Justin Davidson, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025

On July 20, 1775, Major Joseph Vose and sixty Continental soldiers landed on Little Brewster in nimble whaleboats. —Dorothy Wickenden, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023

When a prime specimen was chosen, the men set off in a whaleboat rowed by a crew. —Nancy Lord, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Nov. 2022

Setauket whaleboat captain Caleb Brewster, meanwhile, carried messages across Long Island Sound, between Setauket and Connecticut. —Bill Bleyer, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2022

Mitch Brown, 27, and his girlfriend Yanna Xian, 24, were swimming on a whaleboat tour when a baby humpback approached them. —People Staff, PEOPLE.com, 10 Jan. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1682, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for whaleboat

• anecdote
• antidote
• asymptote
• creosote
• dimethoate
• epidote
• ferryboat
• motorboat
• overcoat
• petticoat
• riverboat
• undercoat

Kids Definition

whaleboat

noun

whale·​boat ˈhwā(ə)l-ˌbōt 

ˈwā(ə)l-

: a long narrow rowboat formerly used by whalers for hunting whales