boat S1 W2 /bəʊt $ boʊt/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: bat ]
1 . a vehicle that travels across water:
a fishing boat
The boat capsized (=turned over) in heavy seas.
a boat trip around the islands
by boat
Some of the beaches can only be reached by boat.
on/in a boat
MacKay said he would sleep on his boat.
⇨ ↑ lifeboat , ↑ motorboat , ↑ powerboat , ↑ speedboat , ↑ steamboat
2 . informal a ship, especially one that carries passengers:
We’re taking the night boat to St. Malo.
3 . be in the same boat (as somebody) to be in the same unpleasant situation as someone else:
Everyone has lost their job. We’re all in the same boat.
⇨ ↑ gravy boat , ↑ sauce boat , ⇨ burn your bridges/boats at ↑ burn 1 (18), ⇨ miss the boat at ↑ miss 1 (14), ⇨ push the boat out at ↑ push 1 (15), ⇨ rock the boat at ↑ rock 2 (3)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ sail a boat
They’re sailing a boat down the coast of Portugal.
▪ row a boat
Are you any good at rowing a boat?
▪ take a boat out
Why don’t we take the boat out on the river?
▪ steer a boat
He steered the boat carefully to the shore.
▪ launch a boat (=put it in the water)
Where’s the best place to launch the boat?
▪ tie up/moor a boat (=tie it to something so that it stays in one place)
You can tie up the boat to that tree.
|
How much does it cost to moor a boat here?
▪ a boat rocks (=moves from side to side in the water)
The little boat was rocking in the wind.
▪ a boat capsizes/overturns (=turns over in the water)
Will stood up suddenly and the boat capsized.
▪ a boat overturns (=turns over in the water)
▪ a boat sinks
The boat sank in a storm.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + boat
▪ a fishing boat
The fishing boats go out to sea early in the morning.
▪ a rowing boat British English
▪ a sailing boat British English
▪ a canal boat ( also a narrow boat British English ) (=for use on canals)
We had a holiday on a canal boat in France.
▪ a pleasure boat (=a small boat that people use on a lake, river etc)
■ boat + NOUN
▪ a boat trip
You can take a boat trip to the islands nearby.
▪ a boat race
There’s a boat race on the river tomorrow.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ types of boat
▪ yacht a large boat with a sail, used for pleasure or sport
▪ sailing boat British English , sailboat American English a boat that uses one or more sails
▪ rowing boat British English , rowboat American English a small boat that you move through the water with oars
▪ dinghy a small open boat used for pleasure, or for taking people between a ship and the shore
▪ catamaran a sailing boat with two separate ↑ hull s (=the part that goes in the water)
▪ trimaran a sailing boat with three separate HULLS s
▪ barge a large low boat with a flat bottom, used for carrying heavy goods on a canal or river
▪ canal boat ( also narrow boat British English ) a boat that you use on canals
▪ canoe a long light boat that is open at the top and pointed at both ends, which you move along using a ↑ paddle . Canoes are for one to three people
▪ kayak a light boat for one or two people, that is pointed at both ends and covered on top. A kayak has round holes on top in which the people sit, and you move it along using a paddle.
▪ punt a long thin boat with a flat bottom that you move by pushing a long pole against the bottom of the river – used for pleasure
▪ houseboat a boat that is specially made so that you can live on it
▪ pleasure boat a small boat, for example a sailing boat or a rowing boat, that people use on a lake, river etc:
People were out on the lake in pleasure boats.
⇨ ↑ ship