oar

1 of 2

noun

1
: a long pole with a broad blade at one end used for propelling or steering a boat
2
oared adjective

oar

2 of 2

verb

oared; oaring; oars

intransitive verb

: to progress by or as if by using oars

transitive verb

: to propel with or as if with oars : row

Examples of oar in a Sentence

Noun “All oars ho!” the boatswain ordered Verb since the wind had completely died, they had to oar the sailboat back to shore
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Verdant, rife with wildlife sightings, and slow, the trip, steered solely with a rod, rudder, and oar, promises a peacefulness long before arrival. Becca Hensley, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2024 Rafters took turns rowing, sitting forward or backward at the oars, depending on preference. Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 3 June 2024
Verb
Mute swans do put on bursts of speed by oaring with their huge webbed feet. National Geographic, 19 Oct. 2016 See all Example Sentences for oar 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English oore, ore, going back to Old English ār, going back to dialectal Germanic *airō (whence Old Norse ár "oar"), of uncertain origin

Note: The presumed etymon *airō is attested only in Scandinavian Germanic and Old English; it is apparently a loanword from Scandinavian into Finnic languages (North Saami áiru "oar," Finnish airo, Estonian aer). The Germanic word has been compared with Greek oíāx "handle of a rudder, tiller" oiḗïon "tiller, rudder," Homeric oíēkes "appurtenance on a yoke," Sanskrit īṣā́ "shaft, thill," Hittite hišša-, Czech oj, Slovene ojệ, ojệsa, all going back to Indo-European *h2(o)iH-s- "pole, shaft" (with the meaning "rudder" apparently secondary in Greek). However, if *airō goes back to *aizō the expected Old Norse outcome would be *eir rather than ār; additionally, the sense shift from "shaft of a cart" to "oar" is not unobjectionable.

Verb

Middle English oren, derivative of ore oar entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

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

Dictionary Entries Near oar

Cite this Entry

“Oar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oar. Accessed 30 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

oar

1 of 2 noun
ˈō(ə)r How to pronounce oar (audio)
ˈȯ(ə)r
1
: a long pole with a broad blade at one end used for rowing or steering a boat
2
oared
ˈō(ə)rd How to pronounce oar (audio)
ˈȯ(ə)rd
adjective

oar

2 of 2 verb

More from Merriam-Webster on oar

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!