boat Hear it!

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 © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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