dhow

American

[dou] / daʊ /

Or dau,

noun

any of various types of sailing vessels used by Arabs on the east African, Arabian, and Indian coasts, generally lateen-rigged on two or three masts.

dhow British

/ daʊ /

noun

a lateen-rigged coastal Arab sailing vessel with one or two masts

"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

Etymology

Origin of dhow

First recorded in 1795–1805, dhow is from the Arabic word dāwa

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Flohr, 38, says her favorite adventure is sailing on a traditional Mozambican dhow, or fishing boat, to a remote island nearby, where a picnic awaits.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 9, 2025

Diamond spends several days tracking a suspect fishing vessel, or dhow.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2024

Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team, boarded an unflagged vessel described as a dhow in international waters of the Arabian Sea, off the coast of Somalia.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 23, 2024

During that nighttime commando mission, according to the U.S. military, American troops boarded a small boat, called a dhow, and seized weapons including Iranian made ballistic-missile and cruise-missile components bound for Yemen.

From New York Times • Jan. 22, 2024

"Now you must sleep, Peter," said the girl authoritatively, after Mostyn had done his best for the dhow and her new crew.

From The Wireless Officer by Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)

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