dinghy

American  

[ding-gee] / ˈdɪŋ gi /

noun

plural

dinghies

1. any small boat designed as a tender or lifeboat, especially a small ship's boat, rowed, sailed, or driven by a motor.

2. a boat used by warships, having four single-banked oars and a spritsail.

3. any of various rowing or sailing boats used in sheltered waters along the Indian coasts to transport passengers and freight.

4. an inflatable life raft.

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dinghy British  

/ ˈdɪŋɪ /

noun

1. Also (esp formerly): dingy.   dingey.  any small boat, powered by sail, oars, or outboard motor

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verb

1. slang (tr) to ignore (a person) or avoid (an event)

Etymology

Origin of dinghy

1785–95; < Bengali diṅgi, Hindi ḍiṅgī, diminutive of ḍiṅgā boat

Example Sentences

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

Yet Iran primarily sets mines using frogmen on small boats that resemble ordinary fishing vessels, an informal maritime militia of dinghies that is virtually impossible to identify and eliminate.

From The Wall Street Journal

The colonizers, four Chagossians aged 31 to 72, clambered aboard a dinghy and came ashore, waving British and American flags.

From The Wall Street Journal

The dinghy they were travelling on became swamped and capsized in the early hours of 24 November 2021, in what became the deadliest Channel small boat incident on record.

From BBC

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

Related Words

• life raft
• lifeboat
• rowboat
• skiff