gunwale

noun

gun·​wale ˈgə-nᵊl 

variants or less commonly gunnel

: the upper edge of a ship's or boat's side

Phrases

to the gunwales

: as fully as possible

The doorbell rang, and Flanagan let in his wife, who was loaded to the gunwales with groceries.

—Whitney Balliett

Examples of gunwale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Marigolds line the gunwale of the boat with a pink and blue Sugar Skull painted on the stern. —Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register, 15 Aug. 2024

The boatman circled cautiously, then winced when Wilson, the jujitsu champion, suddenly launched an aerial drone and banged on the boat’s gunwale to get the animals’ attention. —Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2024

But when Navarro calls to check in just hours later, Julia answers the phone in the same place her sister found her last week — sitting on the gunwale of a barge stuck in the ice. —Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2024

Boating spectators gripped one another’s gunwales to hold position against the southerly breeze. —Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gonne-wale, from gonne gun + wale entry 1; from its former use as a support for guns

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

gunwale

noun

gun·​wale

variants also gunnel

ˈgən-ᵊl 

: the upper edge of a ship's side