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View synonyms for oar

oar

[ awr, ohr ]

noun

  1. a long shaft with a broad blade at one end, used as a lever for rowing or otherwise propelling or steering a boat.
  2. something resembling this or having a similar purpose.
  3. a person who rows; oarsman.


verb (used with object)

  1. to propel with or as if with oars; row.
  2. to traverse or make (one's way) by, or as if by, rowing.

verb (used without object)

  1. to row.
  2. to move or advance as if by rowing.

oar

/ ɔː /

noun

  1. a long shaft of wood for propelling a boat by rowing, having a broad blade that is dipped into and pulled against the water. Oars were also used for steering certain kinds of ancient sailing boats
  2. short for oarsman
  3. put one's oar in
    to interfere or interrupt
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


verb

  1. to row or propel with or as if with oars

    the two men were oaring their way across the lake

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈoarˌlike, adjective
  • ˈoarless, adjective
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Other Words From

  • oarless adjective
  • oarlike adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of oar1

before 900; Middle English ore, Old English ār; cognate with Old Norse ār
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Word History and Origins

Origin of oar1

Old English ār, of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse ār
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. put in one's oar, to meddle; interfere:

    He put in his oar and was told to mind his own business.

  2. rest on one's oars, to cease to make an effort; relax after exertion; stop working after success or completing a task:

    Once he became president, he was content to rest on his oars.

More idioms and phrases containing oar

see put one's oar in .
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Example Sentences

Their ineptitude required the seaman to abandon his post at the tiller and man an oar himself.

Frank leaped ashore and pushed the boat off, while Mayne held her by jamming the leeward oar into the mud.

There are some people who leave impressions not so lasting as the imprint of an oar upon the water.

A single oar used rather as rudder than paddle guides the tank to the middle of the stream, where it floats to its destination.

Jim and Grundy each seized an oar, and, exerting their strength, they were soon clear of the wreck.

And now a chase began with oar and sail, and continued till noon, when Crown Point was still some leagues away.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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