oar

1 of 2

noun

ˈȯr 

1

: a long pole with a broad blade at one end used for propelling or steering a boat

2

: oarsman

oared

ˈȯrd 

adjective

oar

2 of 2

verb

oared; oaring; oars

intransitive verb

: to progress by or as if by using oars

transitive verb

: to propel with or as if with oars : row

Synonyms

Noun

• oarsman
• rower
• sculler

Verb

• paddle
• row
• scull

Examples of oar in a Sentence

Noun

“All oars ho!” the boatswain ordered

Verb

since the wind had completely died, they had to oar the sailboat back to shore

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Instead, the risotto is cooked in cylinders the size of oil drums, heated by portable gas burners, and stirred with long wooden paddles that resemble oars. —Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024

Moana comes with a flower crown, an oar, a conch shell, and her signature necklace. —Quincy Bulin, Parents, 22 Nov. 2024

Verb

Mute swans do put on bursts of speed by oaring with their huge webbed feet. —National Geographic, 19 Oct. 2016

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English oore, ore, going back to Old English ār, going back to dialectal Germanic *airō (whence Old Norse ár "oar"), of uncertain origin

Note: The presumed etymon *airō is attested only in Scandinavian Germanic and Old English; it is apparently a loanword from Scandinavian into Finnic languages (North Saami áiru "oar," Finnish airo, Estonian aer). The Germanic word has been compared with Greek oíāx "handle of a rudder, tiller" oiḗïon "tiller, rudder," Homeric oíēkes "appurtenance on a yoke," Sanskrit īṣā́ "shaft, thill," Hittite hišša-, Czech oj, Slovene ojệ, ojệsa, all going back to Indo-European *h₂(o)iH-s- "pole, shaft" (with the meaning "rudder" apparently secondary in Greek). However, if *airō goes back to *aizō the expected Old Norse outcome would be *eir rather than ār; additionally, the sense shift from "shaft of a cart" to "oar" is not unobjectionable.

Verb

Middle English oren, derivative of ore oar entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing oar

• get/put/stick your/one's oar in

Kids Definition

oar

1 of 2 noun

ˈō(ə)r 

ˈȯ(ə)r

1

: a long pole with a broad blade at one end used for rowing or steering a boat

2

: oarsman

oared

ˈō(ə)rd 

ˈȯ(ə)rd

adjective

oar

2 of 2 verb

: row entry 1 sense 1