: of, relating to, or situated to starboard
starboarded; starboarding; starboards
: to turn or put (a helm or rudder) to the right
Examples of starboard in a Sentence
Noun
The ship turned to starboard.
Recent Examples on the Web
Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024
The ship sank tilted on its starboard side and, as the oxygen ran out, their air pockets became toxic with carbon dioxide, which ultimately led to their deaths.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 5 Sep. 2024
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Oct. 2022
The left main gear was good but the right main (the large forward gear leg on the starboard side of the Fury) would not fully lower and lock.
—Eric Tegler, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022
Chrissie McClatchie, Robb Report, 12 Sep. 2024
The main living area features a comfortable lounge, a dining area to starboard, and a bar to port.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for starboard 
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Noun
The ship begins turning to starboard, to the right when facing forward.
—Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024
The ship sank tilted on its starboard side and, as the oxygen ran out, their air pockets became toxic with carbon dioxide, which ultimately led to their deaths.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 5 Sep. 2024
Adjective
The collision ripped a hole in Barge 129’s starboard side.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Oct. 2022
The left main gear was good but the right main (the large forward gear leg on the starboard side of the Fury) would not fully lower and lock.
—Eric Tegler, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022
Verb
To starboard is Vava II, the gleaming 315-foot superyacht owned by Alinghi Red Bull Racing chairman Ernesto Bertarelli, who has brought the Swiss team back into the America’s Cup after being absent for 14 years.
—Chrissie McClatchie, Robb Report, 12 Sep. 2024
The main living area features a comfortable lounge, a dining area to starboard, and a bar to port.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for starboard
Dictionary Entries Near starboard
Cite this Entry
“Starboard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/starboard. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
starboard
1 of 2 noun
star·board
ˈstär-bərd 
: the right side of a ship or aircraft looking forward
starboard
2 of 2 adjective
: of, relating to, or situated to starboard
Etymology
Noun
Old English stēorbord "starboard, side of a ship from which it is steered," from stēor "steering oar" and bord "the side of a ship"
Word Origin
The word starboard has nothing whatever to do with stars. The star- part of the word used to be spelled stēor- in Old English and referred to the steering oar or rudder of a ship. In those days the rudder was located on the side of the ship to the right of a person facing toward the bow. Nowadays, of course, the rudder is at the stern. The -board part of the word refers not to a plank but to a whole side of a ship. This meaning survives today in the verb to board a ship or airplane. The side opposite the starboard is usually called the port. The name probably comes from the fact that this side faced the port or dock when the ship was steered into a harbor. The port side is sometimes also called the larboard. The lar- part of this word was spelled lade- in Old English. It probably came from the verb laden, meaning "to load." So the larboard was the side from which the cargo was loaded and unloaded.
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