1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

keel 1 of 2

noun

Definition of keelnext
as in ship
a large craft for travel by water for a few days at least, the Titanic was the largest and grandest keel afloat

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

keel

2 of 2

verb

as in to collapse

Related Words

Dissimilar 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 keel
Noun
Cobolli, 24, and Auger-Aliassime, 25, have been going through the tournament in different ways — Cobolli with some eyecatching flair that turned into jitters during his fourth-round win; Auger-Aliassime with more jeopardy but also a more even keel. — Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 2 June 2026 The hope is to have AI functioning on a balanced keel in the mental health domain. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Verb
Canales said Young has stayed even keeled through his struggles, which has given Canales the confidence to continue giving him opportunities down the field. — Joseph Person, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025 Analysts thought the stresses placed on the hull and keel during such an accident could have potentially led to its scrapping. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 6 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for keel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for keel
  1. ship
  2. collapse
  3. boat
  4. crumple
  5. vessel
  6. plop
  7. plunk
  8. slip
Noun
  • The effect created the illusion of two ships, leaving the enemy unsure which one to target.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 16 Sep. 2026
  • By treating the ship as an evolving platform, CSL and Adbri have bypassed the infrastructure gridlock that leaves many zero-emission concepts stranded on the drawing board.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of ship
Verb
  • That pair, combined with the wider structure and personnel around them, ensure Leeds do not collapse when home sides like Brighton, predictably, lay it on thick.
    — Beren Cross, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Researchers believe volcanic activity triggered an underwater landslide and caused a large chunk of Anak Krakatau’s southwest slope to collapse and displace a large volume of water.
    — Tatan Syuflana, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of collapse
Noun
  • From the boat, Sandy sends Nathan to pick the guests up with a Jet Ski.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The United Nations has estimated that more than 80,000 people have been displaced in the past two weeks, including over 2,000 people who fled by boat to Djibouti.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of boat
Verb
  • Inflation is part of the show, as across the valley floor, enormous envelopes lie crumpled in fields before fans slowly give them shape—then the burners start, sending pulses of orange through the fabric.
    — Scott Campbell, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026
  • According to National Geographic, as the Arabian plate began to move further under the Eurasian plate, the two plates crumpled together, creating the Zagros Mountains — an impressive stretch of peaks that still exist in Iran.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of crumple
Noun
  • The vessel's superstructure and deck were damaged in the morning attack, Kiper said on Telegram.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The recent maintenance program therefore involved not only technical work on the vessel but also improvements to spaces used by the crew.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of vessel
Verb
  • This is different to me than, say, a re-creation of the Eiffel Tower being plopped into Las Vegas, which is preying on replication as generic spectacle.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The party took over the many rooms of the hotel’s restaurant, where guests could plop into booths and enjoy passing french fries, or mingle with a martini near DJ Jade Croo.
    — Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of plop
Verb
  • At the restaurant, tables plonked in the sand feel intimate and experiential as well as immersed in the changing colors of the sunset sky.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Hentges put the tying run on base by plunking pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones, then Red Sox put runners on the corners as Andruw Monasterio beat out a potential double play ball.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of plunk
Verb
  • My own read, after two years of watching vendor roadmaps slip and then compress again, is that the hardware is still outrunning the software.
    — Dax Grant, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • My Lychee Tax – a deliciously fruity blend of strawberry rum and lychee purée – slipped down quickly.
    — Vicki Power, TheWeek, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of slip

Phrases Containing keel

Browse Nearby Words

keeks
keel
keelboat
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Keel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keel. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on keel

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about keel

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All