dinghy
Americannoun
plural
dinghies-
any small boat designed as a tender or lifeboat, especially a small ship's boat, rowed, sailed, or driven by a motor.
-
a boat used by warships, having four single-banked oars and a spritsail.
-
any of various rowing or sailing boats used in sheltered waters along the Indian coasts to transport passengers and freight.
-
an inflatable life raft.
noun
verb
Etymology
Origin of dinghy
1785–95; < Bengali diṅgi, Hindi ḍiṅgī, diminutive of ḍiṅgā boat
Explanation
A long journey by sea requires a large ship, but if you’re out for an afternoon on the pond, you may want to take the dinghy, a small boat. A dinghy, pronounced "DING-ee," is a lifeboat found on board of a ship in case of emergency, but it can also be a rowboat used for fishing or just relaxing out on the water. The unusual spelling of this word reflects its exotic origins, in the Hindi word ḍiṅgī. Be sure to remember to include the silent “h” when you spell dinghy.
Vocabulary lists containing dinghy
Seas The Day: Words That Shore Are Beachy
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Vocabulary from news articles about rescued teenage sailor
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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.
An elite dinghy racer in his youth, he gave the Cup a whirl in 1974 on Mariner, a vessel he claimed would be an innovative breakthrough.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
Russian rapper Yegor Krid dialed a friend as he relaxed on a floating dinghy in a music clip released last year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
Twenty-two migrants have died off the Greek coast after spending six days in a dinghy bound for Europe, the Greek coastguard has said.
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026
A photograph of the aftermath of the operation obtained by the BBC shows a number of men - apparently people-smugglers - on an inflatable dinghy with the police launch alongside.
From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026
The waters begin to spin around the scarecrow’s pole, and the rope that holds the dinghy in place goes taut.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
