plural boats
1
a
: a small vessel for travel on water
b
: ship
2
: a boat-shaped container, utensil, or device
a gravy boat
a laboratory boat
3
informal
: a large car
A lot of people still think Cadillac makes big floaty boats.—
Mark LaNeve
Mark LaNeve
boated; boating; boats
: to place in or bring into a boat
: to go by boat
Synonyms
Examples of boat in a Sentence
Noun
He tied the boat to the dock.
Cruise ships and other boats filled the harbor.
traveling by boat across the ocean
Verb
We boated over to the island.
boated to the picnic site on an island in the bay
Recent Examples on the Web
Angel Saunders, People.com, 14 Dec. 2024
Thirty-three passengers in total were onboard the boats, police said.
—Victoria Arancio, ABC News, 13 Dec. 2024
Christine Clarridge, Axios, 5 Dec. 2024
Bodega Bay boating accident:Boys who survived mass shooting, father presumed dead
Jude washed up empty beach in the dark
Hours later, Jude washed up on the shore and waited for sunrise to climb a hill and make his way to a roadway.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 16 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for boat 
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Their metal boat carrying migrants had set off from Sfax, Tunisia, and sank off the coast of Lampedusa in Italy.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 14 Dec. 2024
Thirty-three passengers in total were onboard the boats, police said.
—Victoria Arancio, ABC News, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
In addition to its main gatherings, the group organizes smaller activities like board game nights, walks and boating excursions.
—Christine Clarridge, Axios, 5 Dec. 2024
Bodega Bay boating accident:Boys who survived mass shooting, father presumed dead
Jude washed up empty beach in the dark
Hours later, Jude washed up on the shore and waited for sunrise to climb a hill and make his way to a roadway.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 16 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for boat
Articles Related to boat
Dictionary Entries Near boat
Cite this Entry
“Boat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boat. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boat
1 of 2 noun1
: a small vessel for travel on water
3
: a boat-shaped utensil
gravy boat
boat
2 of 2 verb1
: to put into or carry in a boat
2
: to travel by boat
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