dinghy

noun

din·​ghy ˈdiŋ-ē 

-gē

plural dinghies

1

a

: a small boat carried on or towed behind a larger boat as a tender or a lifeboat

b

: a small sailboat

2

: a rubber life raft

3

: a rowboat or sailboat used to carry passengers or cargo on the coasts of India especially in sheltered waters around the peninsula

Synonyms

• bark
• sailboat
• windjammer

Examples of dinghy in a Sentence

we went sailing on the secluded lake in a little two-person dinghy

Recent Examples on the Web

People who couldn’t afford to hire a guide and be chauffeured comfortably in a Mackenzie boat, or who didn’t want to, arrived with dinghies and johnboats lashed to the roofs of old yellow buses. —David Quammen, Outside Online, 29 Nov. 2024

And here are the day's remaining medal events: Sailing — Mixed dinghy is at 5:43 a.m. —Sean Nevin, NBC News, 9 Aug. 2024

When Jonathan swam out to the dinghy, Nicky screamed no. —Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024

Here are the remaining medal events: Sailing — Women’s dinghy is at 6:13 a.m. —NBC News, 8 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Bengali ḍiṅgi, Urdu ḍīngī & Hindi ḍieṁgī

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

dinghy

noun

din·​ghy ˈdiŋ-ē 

-gē

plural dinghies

1

: a small rowboat or sailboat

especially : one carried on a larger boat

2

: a rubber life raft