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Synonyms

gangplank

American  
[gang-plangk] / ˈgæŋˌplæŋk /

noun

  1. a flat plank or small, movable, bridgelike structure for use by persons boarding or leaving a ship at a pier.

gangplank British  
/ ˈɡæŋˌplæŋk /

noun

  1. nautical a portable bridge for boarding and leaving a vessel at dockside

"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 gangplank

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; gang 1 + plank

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.

Jack said he watched me until my feet disappeared over the gangplank …

From Seattle Times • Dec. 7, 2023

Julia told an interviewer years later that Tyler picked her up and carried her across a gangplank to a rescue boat.

From Washington Post • Feb. 14, 2022

As the Canberra repatriated the PoWs to Puerto Madryn - the Welsh-speaking enclave of Argentina - in July 1982, a Navy photographer captured Irfon and Giorgio sharing a heartfelt goodbye handshake on the gangplank.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2022

In a way, Harry and Meghan have done them a favor by jumping ship, rather than being asked to walk the gangplank.

From Salon • Nov. 4, 2021

Then the gangplank was lowered and my father bounded on the deck in his white panama hat and his white duck suit.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz

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.