boat

1 of 2

noun

plural boats
1
a
: a small vessel for travel on water
b
: ship
2
: a boat-shaped container, utensil, or device
a gravy boat
a laboratory boat
3
informal : a large car
A lot of people still think Cadillac makes big floaty boats.Mark LaNeve
boatful noun
boatlike adjective

boat

2 of 2

verb

boated; boating; boats

transitive verb

: to place in or bring into a boat

intransitive verb

: to go by boat
Phrases
in the same boat
: in the same situation or predicament

Examples of boat in a Sentence

Noun He tied the boat to the dock. Cruise ships and other boats filled the harbor. traveling by boat across the ocean Verb We boated over to the island. boated to the picnic site on an island in the bay
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Gary wakes up and notices Parsifal III is heading directly toward another boat. Emma Soren, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024 The decrease is attributed to a significant drop in Pontoon boat sales due to high interest rates and inflation affecting consumer spending. Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
Verb
Perez said since 65% of the visitors to the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show are from overseas, mainly Europe and Latin America, the development will draw from a global clientele of yacht owners and boating enthusiasts. Robert Frank, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024 More than 26 miles long with over 110 miles of shoreline, the lake is water-sports central, filled with people boating, kayaking, wakeboarding, paddleboarding and parasailing. Catherine Garcia, The Week Us, theweek, 8 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for boat 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English boot, from Old English bāt; akin to Old Norse beit boat

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of boat was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near boat

Cite this Entry

“Boat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boat. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

boat

1 of 2 noun
1
: a small vessel for travel on water
2
3
: a boat-shaped utensil
gravy boat

boat

2 of 2 verb
1
: to put into or carry in a boat
2
: to travel by boat

More from Merriam-Webster on boat

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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