buoy

American  

[boo-ee, boi] / ˈbu i, bɔɪ /

noun

• buoys
  plural

1. Nautical. a distinctively shaped and marked float, sometimes carrying a signal or signals, anchored to mark a channel, anchorage, navigational hazard, etc., or to provide a mooring place away from the shore.

2. a life buoy.

---

verb (used with object)

• buoys,
  present (3rd person singular)
• buoyed,
  past participle,  past
• buoying
  present participle

1. to keep afloat or support by or as if by a life buoy; keep from sinking (often followed byup ).

   The life jacket buoyed her up until help arrived.

2. Nautical. to mark with a buoy or buoys.

3. to sustain or encourage (often followed byup ).

   Her courage was buoyed by the doctor's assurances.

   Synonyms:

   nurture, maintain, lighten, boost, uplift, lift

verb (used without object)

• buoys,
  present (3rd person singular)
• buoyed,
  past participle,  past
• buoying
  present participle

1. to float or rise by reason of lightness.

buoy British  

/ ˈbuːɪ, bɔɪ /

noun

1. a distinctively shaped and coloured float, anchored to the bottom, for designating moorings, navigable channels, or obstructions in a body of water See also life buoy

---

verb

1. to prevent from sinking

   the belt buoyed him up

2. to raise the spirits of; hearten

3. (tr) nautical to mark (a channel or obstruction) with a buoy or buoys

4. (intr) to rise to the surface

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• buoys
  plural

Participles

• buoying
  present
• buoyed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• buoy
  simple
• buoys
  simple
• have buoyed
  perfect
• has buoyed
  perfect
• am buoying
  progressive
• are buoying
  progressive
• is buoying
  progressive
• have been buoying
  perfect progressive
• has been buoying
  perfect progressive

Past

• buoyed
  simple
• had buoyed
  perfect
• was buoying
  progressive
• were buoying
  progressive
• had been buoying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will buoy
  simple
• will have buoyed
  perfect
• will be buoying
  progressive
• will have been buoying
  perfect progressive

---

Etymology

Origin of buoy

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English boye “a float,” from unattested Middle French boie, boue(e), from Germanic; akin to beacon

---

Explanation

A buoy is a floating marker that indicates the presence of underwater hazards, channels, or places for tying up boats. When buoy is a verb, it can mean to float like a buoy, literally or figuratively. Winning an award could buoy your spirits as if you are floating with pride. The verb buoy can mean "boost or increase." There aren't many things that will buoy your confidence as much as repeated compliments on how great your new haircut looks. Imagine seeing water buoy up an enormous swan, or the wind buoy up a kite. A more figurative meaning of buoy is to cheer or lift someone's spirits. One way to remember buoy's unusual spelling is the phrase, "Boats usually opt to steer around a buoy."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

buoy buoys buoyed buoying

There’s an understandable temptation to let the fantasy buoy the film.

From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026

Of course, Anthropic’s reasons for going public wouldn’t be to buoy stock-market sentiment toward AI.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026

At Miu Miu, Prada's more youthful line, the designer oversaw a stretch of soaring sales that helped buoy the company in an otherwise tough sales environment for luxury fashion.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

The company expects to release data for a number of pivotal studies in the coming months that could buoy its prospects over the medium term and help it move past recent patent expirations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

The skiff wanted to break free, the buoy ropes were slick with weed, and my knees and ribs were sore after just two pots.

From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk

Another challenge also looms: federal regulations aimed at protecting endangered North Atlantic right whales, which migrate along the East Coast and risk entanglement in the vertical lines from lobster traps to surface buoys.

From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026

“The Jewish community sort of buoys him up and brings him back,” O’Brien said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

The buoys mark a voluntary no-anchor zone, to encourage water users to avoid anchoring, reduce seabed damage, and protect declining seagrass habitats.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

The cage, China’s second, remains in the shared zone and added to a network of more than a dozen data-collection buoys discovered in the area since 2018.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

Before long we began to spot signs for gas stations and boating supplies, and along the shore there were white mooring buoys.

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos

The Diablos beat San Juan Hills 54-44 in an epic Orange County shootout to secure its third consecutive Alpha League crown, buoyed by a bevy of explosive plays.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

It was buoyed by the ongoing success of Google Cloud, where revenue grew by 103% to almost $31bn.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

Seoul's Kospi stock index opened more than four percent higher on Tuesday, buoyed by a Wall Street rally and revived optimism over the AI boom.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

Samsung Electronics forecast Thursday a more than 780 percent leap in third-quarter operating profit from a year earlier, buoyed by high memory chip prices as AI fuels a global supply shortage.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

I am floating on a buoyed raft in the Baltic Sea.

From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys

The dollar pulled back from recent highs against a basket of global currencies, buoying gold prices and bitcoin.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Also on the BIS list were concerns over the longevity of the artificial intelligence investment boom, which has been buoying global growth and keeping it going through crises like last year's tariff hikes.

From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026

Extraordinary demand for memory in the artificial-intelligence era is buoying the stock.

From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026

Gauges of Asia factory activity showed more evidence of supply-chain disruptions from the Middle East war, with stockpiling buoying production as cost pressures intensify.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026

It was so bright that you couldn’t see below the surface until the water was right up to you, and then it was suddenly clear, and buoying me up in its rush.

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• beacon

---