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boat definition

boat (bōt)

noun

  1. a small, open water vehicle propelled by oars, sails, engine, etc.
  2. a large such vehicle for use in inland waters an ore boat on the Great Lakes
  3. any large, seagoing water vehicle; ship: a term in popular use, but not by sailors
  4. a boat-shaped dish a gravy boat

Etymology: ME bot < OE bat (akin to Ger & Du boot) < IE base *bheid-, to split (in the sense “hollowed-out tree trunk”) > fission

transitive verb

  1. to lay or carry in the boat to boat the oars
  2. to pull or lift into a boat to boat a fish

intransitive verb

to go in a boat; row, sail, or cruise
boat Idioms

in the same boat

in the same unfavorable situation

miss the boat

Informal to fail to make the most of an opportunity

rock the boat

☆
Informal to disturb or challenge the status quo

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms boat idiom

boat Synonyms

boat

n.

vessel, bark, sailboat, yacht, steamboat, craft, watercraft, bottom, hulk; see also ship.

Types of small boats include: rowboat, shell, scull, kayak, dugout, canoe, scow, jolly boat, raft, pinnace, launch, cockboat, motorboat, shallop, dory, Johnboat, galiot, catboat, tartan, sharp, pulk, hydrofoil, speedboat, sunfish, yawl, iceboat, sloop, cutter, ketch, schooner, gig, lifeboat, tugboat, barge, cockleshell, wherry, punt, outrigger, dinghy, pontoon, bateau, pirogue, racer, hydroplane, catamaran, trimaran, skiff, umiak, gondola, proa, longboat, coracle, war canoe, clam boat, Baltimore buckeye, settee, bombard, flatboat, junk, collapsible boat, sponson, sharpie, ferry, houseboat, river boat, canal boat.

in the same boat*

in the same situation, in the same predicament, on the same footing, in the same fix*; see equal.

miss the boat*

miss, fall short, neglect, blow it*; see fail 1.

rock the boat*

upset, disturb, disrupt, make waves*; see confuse.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

boat Usage Examples

Object

  • lake: The Castle, now a museum and its beautiful park with boating lake, mini golf playground and bandstand in summer.

Converse of object

  • moor: Nowadays the basin is full of moored pleasure boats.

Adjective modifier

  • narrow: BWB had sold land around the last winding hole making it impossible for full sized narrow boats to turn round.

Modifies a noun

  • trip: From nearby, historic Totnes Key you can take a boat trip down the River Dart to Dartmouth.

Noun used with modifier

  • fishing: Fishing boats, often based in east coast Scottish ports, land their catches here at the fish handling depot built in 1988.
boat usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

boat quotes

Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing, 'Onward!'the sailors cry; Carry the lad that's born to be king Over the sea to Skye.

-Boulton, Sir Harold Edwin

To love is to be a fish. My boat wallows in the sea. You who are free, rescue the dead.

-Ignatow, David

Stop and consider! life is but a day; A fragile dew-drop on its perilous way From a tree's summit; a poor Indian's sleep While his boat hastens to the monstrous steep Of Montmorenci.

-Keats,John

boat quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"boat." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/boat>

APA Style

boat. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/boat

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