berth

American  

[burth] / bɜrθ /

noun

1. a shelflike sleeping space, as on a ship, airplane, or railroad car.

2. Nautical.

   1. the space allotted to a vessel at anchor or at a wharf.

   2. the distance maintained between a vessel and the shore, another vessel, or any object.

   3. the position or rank of a ship's officer.

   4. the cabin of a ship's officer.

3. a job; position.

4. a place, listing, or role.

   She clinched a berth on our tennis team.

   Synonyms:

   appointment, niche, post, position, slot, spot

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verb (used with object)

1. Nautical.

   1. to allot to (a vessel) a certain space at which to anchor or tie up.

   2. to bring to or install in a berth, anchorage, or moorage.

      The captain had to berth the ship without the aid of tugboats.

2. to provide with a sleeping space, as on a train.

verb (used without object)

1. Nautical. to come to a dock, anchorage, or moorage.

idioms

1. give a wide berth to, to shun; remain discreetly away from.

   Since his riding accident, he has given a wide berth to skittish horses.

berth British  

/ bɜːθ /

noun

1. a bed or bunk in a vessel or train, usually narrow and fixed to a wall

2. nautical a place assigned to a ship at a mooring

3. nautical sufficient distance from the shore or from other ships or objects for a ship to manoeuvre

4. to keep clear of; avoid

5. nautical accommodation on a ship

6. informal a job, esp as a member of a ship's crew

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verb

1. (tr) nautical to assign a berth to (a vessel)

2. nautical to dock (a vessel)

3. (tr) to provide with a sleeping place, as on a vessel or train

4. (intr) nautical to pick up a mooring in an anchorage

berth More Idioms  

1. see give a wide berth to.

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Other Word Forms

• unberth verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of berth

First recorded in 1615–25; probably equivalent to bear ¹ + -th ¹

Explanation

A berth is a bed, usually stacked like bunk beds, on a train or a ship. If you're on an overnight train, you may want to spring for a berth instead of sitting up all night. You may have heard the phrase "to give someone a wide berth" — that means to give them plenty of space. But if you want to use berth as a verb, you better be talking about parking a boat: to berth means to moor or dock a ship. The parking spot itself also happens to be called a berth. So if there's a big storm brewing, you best be sure to berth your boat securely in its berth.

Example Sentences

The ships that are now stuck would also need about a day or two to berth, load and depart the congested terminals, depending on their cargo.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

Uefa rules state that the berth in the lower competition has to be forfeited and passed to another league.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

The Trojans clinched a berth for the fourth straight season on Sunday.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

Miami lost the MAC championship game in 1999, and still received an at-large berth as a No. 10 seed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

Kids stood back, giving the stranger a wide berth.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older

Related Words

• dock
• port
• wharf