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
• taxis
• lifeboats
• cruisers
• barges
• watercrafts
• sailboats
• cutters
• skiffs
• motorboats
• rowboats
• dinghies
• pontoons
• catamarans
• flatboats
• dories
• powerboats
• scows
• bateaux
• pirogues
• sampans
• ketches
• outboards
• shells
• bottoms
• dhows
• outriggers
• coracles
• punts
• houseboats
• paddleboats
• longboats
• inboards
• towboats
• pinnaces
• sculls
• shallops
• riverboats
• keelboats
• keels
• wherries
• prams
• tugboats
• yawls
• tubs
• ferryboats
• catboats
• dugouts
• surfboats
• gigs
• lighters
• tugs
• dinks
• workboats
• gondolas
• tender
• whaleboats
• trawlers
• umiaks
• auxiliaries
• seiners
• whalers
• bankers
• hoys
• rowing boats
• luggers
• hydroplanes
• gillnetters
• airboats
• hookers
• 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

Zodiacs and tender boats are on board, ready for excursions (as are kayaks, which can be booked at an additional charge). — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026

Though the trauma is still haunting the crew, a whole summer has gone by since the Akira One hit the dock on their first docking attempt, largely because of the party boats. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026

Based on overheard conversations of early-morning customers, many slept the night on their boats. — David G. Allan, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026

There were also several arrivals of larger boats carrying hundreds of people from Haiti on the shores of Monroe and Miami-Dade counties between 2022 and 2023. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026

The grand jury didn't find any evidence suggesting a crime occurred, or that Wells' death was motivated by race, and also took direct aim at the theories circulating on social media about the people on the boats. — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026

Production of Virginia-class submarines, intended to replace older Los Angeles-class attack submarines, is expected to reach two boats annually by 2031. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026

Traditionalists scoffed at the ‘plastic’ boats, but the Swan 36 featured a revolutionary underwater design. — Andrew Rice, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Patrol boats, a helicopter and a drone as well as commercial vessels were involved in the search assisted by the European Union border protection agency, Frontex. — ABC News, 14 Sep. 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