berth

[burth]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR berth ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

Nautical.

the space allotted to a vessel at anchor or at a wharf.
the distance maintained between a vessel and the shore, another vessel, or any object.
the position or rank of a ship's officer.
the cabin of a ship's officer.

a job; position.

a place, listing, or role: She clinched a berth on our tennis team.

verb (used with object)

Nautical.

to allot to (a vessel) a certain space at which to anchor or tie up.
to bring to or install in a berth, anchorage, or moorage: The captain had to berth the ship without the aid of tugboats.

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

verb (used without object)

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

Idioms

give a wide berth to, to shun; remain discreetly away from: Since his riding accident, he has given a wide berth to skittish horses.

Origin of berth

1615–25; probably bear¹ + -th¹

Related formsun·berth, verb (used with object)

Can be confusedberth birth

Synonyms for berth

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR berth ON THESAURUS.COM

4. spot, slot, position, post, niche, appointment.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for berth

dock, wharf, port, spot, quay, cot, anchorage, billet, jetty, bed, levee, slip, bedroom, compartment, pier, haven, hammock, living, capacity, appointment

Examples from the Web for berth

Contemporary Examples of berth

Only then would a racer likely get a chance at a World Cup berth, from the very back of the start list.
Skiing Prodigy Mikaela Shiffrin Looks Ahead to Sochi
Jake Bright
December 1, 2013
They arranged for a berth for Liebling on LCI(L)-88, one of the first large landing crafts scheduled to hit Omaha.
The Story of the American Journalists Who Landed on D-Day
Timothy M. Gay
June 6, 2012

Historical Examples of berth

I'm sorry for you an' the crew,' says he, 'an' I wisht I hadn't took the berth.
Quaint Courtships
Various
The schooner ahead of us had to cut, and she shifted her berth outside of us.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
The ships did not get clear without some trouble, and we thought it wisest to shift our berth.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
We thought it best to give these dare-devils a berth, and so we left them.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
When we reached New York, our chief mate left us, and I was offered the berth.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for berth

berth

noun

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

nautical a place assigned to a ship at a mooring

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

give a wide berth to to keep clear of; avoid

nautical accommodation on a ship

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

verb

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

nautical to dock (a vessel)

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

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

Word Origin for berth

C17: probably from bear 1 + -th 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for berth

1620s, "convenient sea room" (both for ships and sailors), of uncertain origin, probably from bear (v.) + abstract noun suffix -th (2) as in strength, health, etc. Original sense is preserved in phrase to give (something or someone) wide berth. Meaning "place on a ship to stow chests, room for sailors" is from 1706; extended to non-nautical situations by 1778.

1660s, of ships, from berth (n.). Of persons (intransitive), from 1886. Related: Berthed; berthing.

Idioms and Phrases with berth

berth

see give a wide berth to.