sloop

[ sloop ]

noun

1. a single-masted, fore-and-aft-rigged sailing vessel, with or without a bowsprit, having a jib-headed or gaff mainsail, the latter sometimes with a gaff topsail, and one or more headsails. Compare cutter ( def 3 ), knockabout ( def 1 ).

sloop

/ sluːp /

noun

1. a single-masted sailing vessel, rigged fore-and-aft, with the mast stepped about one third of the overall length aft of the bow Compare cutter

Word History and Origins

Origin of sloop¹

1620–30; < Dutch sloep; akin to Old English slūpan to glide

Word History and Origins

Origin of sloop¹

C17: from Dutch sloep; related to French chaloupe launch, Old English slūpan to glide

Example Sentences

Instead, he conjured the past as a master of richly detailed historical works brimming with schooners, brigs and sloops, their sails flapping under moody clouds, with shore lights twinkling in the distance.

From New York Times

Its sloop collided with a Chinese fishing boat in the dark while approaching Hong Kong at the end of Leg 4, killing one person aboard the fishing boat, which sank.

From Seattle Times

But as the ocean surged and winds surpassed 100 mph, the anchor ripped away from the vessel, Burki said, flinging the slender, longhaired mariner and his sloop ashore over the tops of trees and shrubs.

From Washington Post

“I saw them on their sloop,” she said.

From New York Times

He thought of his father, his sloop aground on Anguilla Reef.

From Literature

Related Words

• barge
• canoe
• catamaran
• craft
• dinghy
• gondola
• raft
• sailboat
• schooner
• ship
• yacht