Synonyms of boats

boats 1 of 2

noun

plural of boat

1

as in vessels

a small buoyant structure for travel on water

paddling the little boat across the lake is great exercise, but tiring

Synonyms & Similar Words

• vessels
• yachts
• canoes
• kayaks
• crafts
• rafts
• ferries
• schooners
• lifeboats
• taxis
• cruisers
• barges
• watercrafts
• cutters
• sailboats
• skiffs
• motorboats
• rowboats
• dinghies
• pontoons
• catamarans
• shells
• flatboats
• dories
• powerboats
• scows
• bateaux
• pirogues
• sampans
• ketches
• outboards
• punts
• bottoms
• dhows
• outriggers
• coracles
• houseboats
• tubs
• paddleboats
• longboats
• inboards
• towboats
• pinnaces
• sculls
• keels
• shallops
• riverboats
• keelboats
• wherries
• prams
• tugboats
• yawls
• ferryboats
• catboats
• dugouts
• surfboats
• tugs
• gigs
• lighters
• dinks
• workboats
• gondolas
• tender
• whaleboats
• trawlers
• umiaks
• auxiliaries
• seiners
• whalers
• bankers
• hoys
• rowing boats
• luggers
• hydroplanes
• hookers
• gillnetters
• airboats
• bumboats
• launches
• shrimpers
• water taxis
• johnboats
• hydrofoils
• draggers
• curraghs
• piraguas
• cobles
• torpedo boats
• PT boats
• narrow boats
• caïques
• scallopers
• jolly boats
• hovercrafts
• assault boats
• garveys
• cockleshells
• air-cushion vehicles

2

as in ships

a large craft for travel by water

you'll have to take a passenger boat to get to the island

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ships
• vessels
• liners
• warships
• freighters
• yachts
• steamships
• keels
• schooners
• tankers
• steamers
• barges
• cruisers
• ferryboats
• cutters
• sailboats
• corvettes
• merchantmen
• traders
• supertankers
• merchant ships
• coasters
• aircraft carriers
• lightships
• colliers
• men-of-war
• containerships
• ironclads
• flagships
• motor ships
• transports
• destroyers
• argosies
• watercrafts
• tramps
• packets
• icebreakers
• brigs
• brigantines
• caravels
• clippers
• ketches
• superliners
• tall ships
• barks
• junk
• windjammers
• square-riggers
• xebecs

boats

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of boat

as in sails

to travel on water in a vessel

boated to the picnic site on an island in the bay

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sails
• ferries
• ships (out)
• cruises
• voyages
• yachts
• canoes
• kayaks
• takes ship
• navigates
• makes sail
• coasts

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of boats

Noun

Some guests have sailed their own boats; few would be caught dead on a big ship. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Aug. 2026

In the weeks since, SpaceX teams have been seen on boats working to haul the rocket back to the shore of Australia, the nearest body of land. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026

Only boats registered in Indonesia are allowed to charter its waters, which effectively eliminates international yachts from the equation. — Annie Daly, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2026

Beaches in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Bulgaria, boats and men arrive. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

Make the short drive north to the nearly 200-year-old fishing village of Mayport to feast on local shrimp alongside working fishing docks bustling with boats delivering the daily catch. — Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 10 Aug. 2026

Rescuers do not force people off the boats because of the risk of capsizing that would put people's lives at risk, the statement said. — ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026

Titanium construction also provided excellent corrosion resistance and survivability, although the material’s high cost meant relatively few boats were produced. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026

Anything that brings attention to horror and the genre, and a more mainstream audience into that niche, is like a rising tide lifts all boats. — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2026

Verb

Down at the lake, boats just off the shore slowed to listen while swimmers took in the music from floaties. — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2026

Shrimp boats bob in the harbor, American flags flutter from pastel porches and old oak trees draped in Spanish moss offer cool shade. — Noreen Kompanik, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025

Kennebunkport, Maine Lobster boats bob in the waves and beachcombers search for shells. — Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025