boat 1 of 2

noun

ˈbōt How to pronounce boat (audio)
Definition of boatnext
1
as in vessel
a small buoyant structure for travel on water paddling the little boat across the lake is great exercise, but tiring

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in ship
a large craft for travel by water you'll have to take a passenger boat to get to the island

Synonyms & Similar Words

boat

2 of 2

verb

as in to sail
to travel on water in a vessel boated to the picnic site on an island in the bay

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of boat
Noun
Migration remains one of the most heated political issues in Britain, despite the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats falling to its lowest level since 2020, according to the Home Office. — Kara Fox, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026 Five ziplines over roughly three hours, including Texas's longest line, plus a short hike and a boat ride built into the tour. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026
Verb
Earlier this year, a 17-year-old was bitten by a shark in the waters off Galveston, Texas, while on a boating trip over Memorial Day weekend. — Heather McCarron, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 Police said the owner of the boat had a valid boating license. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for boat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boat
  1. vessel
  2. ship
  3. sail
  4. yacht
  5. ferry
  6. canoe
  7. kayak
  8. raft
Noun
  • According to the county authorities and neighbors on dry land, the anchor-outs are also homeless, and their not-always-seaworthy vessels are a threat to the bay’s ecosystem.
    — Maggie McGowan, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Shadow fleets are vessels that operate outside of the official shipping system.
    — Chandelis Duster, NPR, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of vessel
Noun
  • Replacing large commercial vessels with alternative-fuel ships can require years of planning and significant capital.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Vance blames high gas prices on Iran attacking commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz but has no timeline for when that could end.
    — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of ship
Verb
  • Shallow groundwater stores supported fruit orchards, alfalfa fields, livestock ranches and, at one point, a water park and dozens of manmade lakes where people could fish, sail and water ski.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The 91-meter (298-foot) Alsu is an oil or chemical tanker sailing from Kocaeli, east of Istanbul, to Aliaga on the Aegean coast, according to the Marine Traffic website.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of sail
Noun
  • Brady hasn’t been linked to anyone in a hot minute and was recently seen on his mega yacht near his Indian Creek Village mansion solo.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Optimal Transit puts an all-in VITAL vessel at about US$587 million, roughly the same amount as or less than the price of Jeff Bezos’s data-center-less, non-freshwater-producing luxury yacht.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of yacht
Verb
  • Tesla Clearing all the regulations required to sell people a steering wheel-less vehicle that's meant to ferry other people is going to take years and a lot of painstaking effort to pull off.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The Pilot once ferried maritime pilots to larger ships in Boston Harbor.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of ferry
Noun
  • Before the arrival of Europeans, the Native tribes used these waters as highways for their dugout and birchbark canoes.
    — Robert Klose, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The two individuals had been camping along Tomales Bay before setting out in a canoe shortly before midnight Saturday, according to officials.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of canoe
Noun
  • Searchers have found a body one day after an empty kayak appeared in North Carolina’s Lake Waccamaw, according to investigators.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 8 Sep. 2026
  • To appreciate seaside La Jolla, rent a kayak at La Jolla Shores, tiptoe through tidepools along Coast Boulevard or bathe in surfer vibes at Windansea Beach.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of kayak
Noun
  • Right now, Lind’s energy is split between a raft of prestigious filmmaking talent.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The ship had capsized, lives were lost, and people built a raft to survive.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of raft

Browse Nearby Words

boasts
boat
boated
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Cite this Entry

“Boat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boat. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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