gangplank

[gang-plangk]

noun

1. a flat plank or small, movable, bridgelike structure for use by persons boarding or leaving a ship at a pier.

gangplank

/ ˈɡæŋˌplæŋk /

noun

1. nautical a portable bridge for boarding and leaving a vessel at dockside

Word History and Origins

Origin of gangplank¹

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; gang ¹ + plank

Example Sentences

Before we reached the gangplank at New York City, they dropped us once on cobblestones.

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Jack said he watched me until my feet disappeared over the gangplank …

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But the first person George saw as they walked down the gangplank was Papa.

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One outside Fort Worth built a gangplank 22 feet above an arcade floor — walk it if you dare.

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George Dasch and his team boarded a freighter, crossed its deck, and walked carefully over a gangplank into German U-boat 202.

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Related Words

• link 
• overpass 
• platform