can buoy

noun

1. a cylindrical, unlighted buoy used as a channel marker.

can buoy

noun

1. nautical a buoy with a flat-topped cylindrical shape above water, marking the left side of a channel leading into a harbour: red in British waters but green (occasionally black) in US waters Compare nun buoy

Word History and Origins

Origin of can buoy¹

First recorded in 1620–30

Example Sentences

He had so little room that his main-boom hit the can-buoy as he swept by.

From Project Gutenberg

A large can-buoy on which is placed, in wicker-work, a bell, which is sounded by the heaving and setting of the sea.

From Project Gutenberg