Illustration of yawl
- yawl 2
1
: a ship's small boat : jolly boat
2
: a fore-and-aft rigged sailboat carrying a mainsail and one or more jibs with a mizzenmast far aft
Examples of yawl in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Tamara Thomsen/Zach Whitrock / AP Captain John Higgins and his crew of eight survived and reached Algoma, about 120 miles north of Milwaukee, after rowing for eight hours in the ship's yawl boat.
—
CBS News, 2 Sep. 2023
The crew, all feeling the effects of the cold and the wet, rowed eight hours in the yawl through the waves of Lake Michigan before landing in Algoma at about 2 p.m.
—Christopher Clough, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2023
The emergency prompted Captain John Higgins and his crew of eight to jump ship, arriving to Algoma after rowing for eight hours in the ship’s small yawl boat.
—Adela Suliman, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2023
The emergency prompted Captain John Higgins and his crew of eight to jump ship, arriving to Algoma after rowing for eight hours in the ship's small yawl boat.
—Adela Suliman, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Sep. 2023
The boat does not have an engine and sails using wind power, with maneuvering assistance from a 19-foot yawl boat that pushes against the stern, the website said.
—BostonGlobe.com, 1 Sep. 2022
CBS News, 2 Sep. 2023
The crew, all feeling the effects of the cold and the wet, rowed eight hours in the yawl through the waves of Lake Michigan before landing in Algoma at about 2 p.m.
—Christopher Clough, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2023
The emergency prompted Captain John Higgins and his crew of eight to jump ship, arriving to Algoma after rowing for eight hours in the ship’s small yawl boat.
—Adela Suliman, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2023
The emergency prompted Captain John Higgins and his crew of eight to jump ship, arriving to Algoma after rowing for eight hours in the ship's small yawl boat.
—Adela Suliman, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Sep. 2023
The boat does not have an engine and sails using wind power, with maneuvering assistance from a 19-foot yawl boat that pushes against the stern, the website said.
—BostonGlobe.com, 1 Sep. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'yawl.' 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
Low German jolle
First Known Use
1670, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near yawl
Cite this Entry
“Yawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yawl. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
yawl
noun
: a sailboat having two masts with the shorter one behind the rudder
More from Merriam-Webster on yawl
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for yawl
Nglish: Translation of yawl for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about yawl
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share