canoe

1 of 2

noun

ca·​noe kə-ˈnü 

: a light narrow boat with both ends sharp that is usually propelled by paddling

canoe

2 of 2

verb

canoed; canoeing

transitive verb

: to transport in a canoe

also : to travel by canoe down (a river)

intransitive verb

: to go or travel in a canoe

canoeable

kə-ˈnü-ə-bəl 

adjective

canoeist

kə-ˈnü-ist 

noun

canoer

kə-ˈnü-ər 

noun

Examples of canoe in a Sentence

Verb

He canoed down the river to the camp.

They canoed part of the Colorado River this summer.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The short trail passes faithful re-creations of domed huts and paperbark canoes, offering a glimpse of how the Indigenous Needwonnee people lived and cultivated the land. —Justin Meneguzzi, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2025

Hannah Groth of Any Thyme Catering and her team show off one of their catering feats, a canoe filled with various snacks and bites to eat. —Kendall Larson, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025

Verb

Each experience—canoeing across floodplains in Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park; cruising down Uganda’s Kazinga Channel with one of the world’s biggest hippo populations—will upend your safari perspective. —Alexandra Owens, AFAR Media, 10 Feb. 2025

People visit Voyageurs to canoe and fish the lakes for walleye and northern pike. —Graham Averill, Outside Online, 21 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, from New Latin canoa, from Spanish, from Arawakan, of Cariban origin; akin to Carib kana:wa canoe

First Known Use

Noun

1555, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1794, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

canoe

1 of 2 noun

ca·​noe kə-ˈnü 

: a long light narrow boat with pointed ends and curved sides that is usually moved by someone using a paddle

canoe

2 of 2 verb

canoed; canoeing

: to travel or carry in a canoe

canoeist

-ˈnü-əst 

noun