1
as in ships
a large craft for travel by water
a new ocean liner that claims to be the largest commercial vessel afloat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in boats
a small buoyant structure for travel on water
any vessel that is buoyant and steerable can be entered in the annual race down the river
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
4
as in containers
something into which a liquid or smaller objects can be put for storage or transportation
any watertight vessel can be used for mixing the paints
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 vessels
These Birdman-disciples are severe kill-joys who consider women merely vessels for heirs.
—
Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Designs have continued to evolve over the past 35 years, with the beach club becoming a focal point on newer vessels.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 5 Sep. 2025
With those vessels was a 30-foot boat, the operator of which did not stop for the Customs agents.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
The river vessels’ Skylight Infinite Balcony Suites, for example, will feature the retractable windows that transform part of the cabin into a balcony, along with a ceiling window.
—Nathan Diller, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Tensions further escalated after two Chinese vessels, a navy destroyer and a coast guard craft, collided near the reef last month, heavily damaging the latter, while chasing a Philippine coast guard cutter.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
Stewart connects this habit to the West African Dogon people, who believed that cooking vessels contained spirits.
—Danielle Amir Jackson, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
Current inspection methods rely on large vessels and divers, which increase safety risks and environmental impacts.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Founded by Francesco Galli Zugaro, the company runs just five vessels worldwide — in the Amazon, the Mekong, Ecuador and Indonesia — each carrying no more than 40 guests.
—Lela London, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Designs have continued to evolve over the past 35 years, with the beach club becoming a focal point on newer vessels.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 5 Sep. 2025
With those vessels was a 30-foot boat, the operator of which did not stop for the Customs agents.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
The river vessels’ Skylight Infinite Balcony Suites, for example, will feature the retractable windows that transform part of the cabin into a balcony, along with a ceiling window.
—Nathan Diller, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Tensions further escalated after two Chinese vessels, a navy destroyer and a coast guard craft, collided near the reef last month, heavily damaging the latter, while chasing a Philippine coast guard cutter.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
Stewart connects this habit to the West African Dogon people, who believed that cooking vessels contained spirits.
—Danielle Amir Jackson, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
Current inspection methods rely on large vessels and divers, which increase safety risks and environmental impacts.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Founded by Francesco Galli Zugaro, the company runs just five vessels worldwide — in the Amazon, the Mekong, Ecuador and Indonesia — each carrying no more than 40 guests.
—Lela London, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vessels
Noun
-
China earlier this week debuted new, sophisticated weapons during its large-scale military parade through Beijing, including underwater capabilities and lasers for ships.—
Ellie Cook
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
-
This achievement marks a critical first step in the BALIS project, an initiative aimed at developing powerful, climate-friendly propulsion systems for future aircraft, ships, and heavy-duty vehicles.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Small crafts include owners of small to medium sized motor and sail boats, affecting fisherman, para-sailors, windsurfers and canoe paddlers.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Federal agents stopped three boats that were en route to South Florida from the Bahamas and were smuggling large loads of cocaine and dozens of Chinese migrants last week, according to court documents.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Or rolling up his sleeves to make rice bowls with their daughter.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The stainless-steel bowls stay cleaner longer and are large enough to feed and water multiple cats or two medium-sized dogs.—
Christopher Murray
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This goes beyond colorful containers and cute doormats.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Parents should practice opening containers with their child and make sure the lunch box isn’t too heavy.—
Kate Sequeira,
Boston Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
That kind of philanthropy is unusual in an age when many billionaires flaunt their wealth with mega-yachts and Wall Street firms work to extract profits from their investments.—
David Gelles,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Lurssen has launched an unprecedented number of new yachts recently.—
Bill Springer,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Under the storage racks with clean dishes and mango chutney, there were 27 rodent droppings.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Here, these dishes are prepared with less sauce (not a bad thing) and overall salt than at Taipei South, despite having the same ownership.—
Shindy Chen,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vessels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vessels. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share