boat

American  

[boht] / boʊt /

noun

1. a vessel for transport by water, constructed to provide buoyancy by excluding water and shaped to give stability and permit propulsion.

2. a small ship, generally for specialized use.

   a fishing boat.

3. a small vessel carried for use by a large one, as a lifeboat.

   They lowered the boats for evacuation.

4. a ship.

5. a vessel of any size built for navigation on a river or other inland body of water.

6. a serving dish resembling a boat.

   a gravy boat;

   a celery boat.

7. Ecclesiastical. a container for holding incense before it is placed in the censer.

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verb (used without object)

boats, present (3rd person singular) boated, past participle, past boating present participle

1. to go in a boat.

   We boated down the Thames.

verb (used with object)

boats, present (3rd person singular) boated, past participle, past boating present participle

1. to transport in a boat.

   They boated us across the bay.

2. to remove (an oar) from the water and place athwartships.

idioms

1. in the same boat, in the same circumstances; faced with the same problems.

   The new recruits were all in the same boat.

2. miss the boat,

   1. to fail to take advantage of an opportunity.

      He missed the boat when he applied too late to get into college.

   2. to miss the point of; fail to understand.

      I missed the boat on that explanation.

3. rock the boat. rock.

boat British  

/ bəʊt /

noun

1. a small vessel propelled by oars, paddle, sails, or motor for travelling, transporting goods, etc, esp one that can be carried aboard a larger vessel

2. (not in technical use) another word for ship

3. navy a submarine

4. a container for gravy, sauce, etc

5. a small boat-shaped container for incense, used in some Christian churches

6. sharing the same problems

7. See burn 1

8. to lose an opportunity

9. informal to celebrate, esp lavishly and expensively

10. informal to cause a disturbance in the existing situation

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verb

1. (intr) to travel or go in a boat, esp as a form of recreation

2. (tr) to transport or carry in a boat

boat More Idioms  

1. see burn one's bridges (boats); in the same boat; miss the boat; rock the boat.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• boatless
  adjective
• boatable
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have boated
  perfect
• has boated
  perfect 3rd person singular
• is boating
  progressive 3rd person singular
• are boating
  progressive
• has been boating
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have been boating
  perfect progressive
• boating
  participle
• am boating
  progressive 1st person singular
• boats
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had boated
  perfect
• had been boating
  perfect progressive
• was boating
  progressive singular
• boated
  simple
• were boating
  progressive plural
• boated
  participle

Future

• will boat
  simple
• will have boated
  perfect
• will be boating
  progressive
• will have been boating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of boat

First recorded before 900; Middle English boot (noun), Old English bāt; cognate with Old Norse beit

Explanation

A boat is a water craft, a vessel that floats and can be propelled through the water. If you buy a private island, you'll need a boat to get there. A lobster boat travels across ocean bays powered by a small motor, and a sail boat is moved by the wind hitting its sails at a particular angle. A much smaller type of boat is a gravy boat, a boat-shaped serving dish that holds a sauce. Boat is sometimes used as a verb, meaning "to go out in a boat." The Old English root is bat, "ship or vessel," from a Germanic source.

Example Sentences

State law is clear that people can wade, swim or boat in state-protected waters, but things get murkier out of the water.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

The gated estate came with more than a half-acre of land and included a private boat dock, heated pool and spa, and private beach access.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026

At least 10 people have died after a boat thought to be carrying migrants capsized near Malta, the Italian coast guard has said.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

“We have watched this state become essentially unlivable for working-class people. And it makes me deeply angry,” he says while piloting his oyster boat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

How could she possibly have known about the boys from the Forty-Eighth, the boat, the call, my error.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

• barge
• canoe
• catamaran
• craft
• dinghy
• gondola
• raft
• sailboat
• schooner
• ship
• yacht