boat

[boht]

noun

1. a vessel for transport by water, constructed to provide buoyancy by excluding water and shaped to give stability and permit propulsion.

2. a small ship, generally for specialized use.

   a fishing boat.

3. a small vessel carried for use by a large one, as a lifeboat.

   They lowered the boats for evacuation.

4. a ship.

5. a vessel of any size built for navigation on a river or other inland body of water.

6. a serving dish resembling a boat.

   a gravy boat;

   a celery boat.

7. Ecclesiastical.,  a container for holding incense before it is placed in the censer.

verb (used without object)

1. to go in a boat.

   We boated down the Thames.

verb (used with object)

1. to transport in a boat.

   They boated us across the bay.

2. to remove (an oar) from the water and place athwartships.

boat

/ bəʊt /

noun

1. a small vessel propelled by oars, paddle, sails, or motor for travelling, transporting goods, etc, esp one that can be carried aboard a larger vessel

2. (not in technical use) another word for ship

3. navy a submarine

4. a container for gravy, sauce, etc

5. a small boat-shaped container for incense, used in some Christian churches

6. sharing the same problems

7. See burn 1

8. to lose an opportunity

9. informal,  to celebrate, esp lavishly and expensively

10. informal,  to cause a disturbance in the existing situation

verb

1. (intr) to travel or go in a boat, esp as a form of recreation

2. (tr) to transport or carry in a boat

Other Word Forms

• boatable adjective
• boatless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of boat¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English boot (noun), Old English bāt; cognate with Old Norse beit

Word History and Origins

Origin of boat¹

Old English bāt ; related to Old Norse beit boat

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in the same boat, in the same circumstances; faced with the same problems.

   The new recruits were all in the same boat.

2. miss the boat,

   1. to fail to take advantage of an opportunity.

      He missed the boat when he applied too late to get into college.

   2. to miss the point of; fail to understand.

      I missed the boat on that explanation.

3. rock the boat. rock.

see burn one's bridges (boats); in the same boat; miss the boat; rock the boat.

Example Sentences

The U.S. military recently destroyed a Venezuelan boat it said was trafficking drugs, killing 11.

From Los Angeles Times

Sam Higgins, 54, who co-led the clean up, said most of the "vandalism" was made up of St George's Crosses, but swastikas were also found along a subway, alongside text which read: "Stop the boats."

From BBC

Family and friends had flown out, and in the lead up to the wedding activities like paragliding and boat days had been booked, so the costs had really added up.

From BBC

The policy is part of a number of measures unveiled by the Labour government in an attempt to tackle the small boats crossings from France.

From BBC

The island is visited by a special charter boat in the summer, which generates some income to help care for the animals and abandoned houses there.

From BBC

Related Words

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