boatload

[ boht-lohd ]

/ ˈboʊtˌloʊd /

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noun

the cargo that a vessel carries or is capable of carrying.

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Origin of boatload

First recorded in 1670–80; boat + load

Words nearby boatload

boat hook, boathouse, boatie, boating, boatlift, boatload, boatman, boatmanship, boat nail, boat neck, boat patch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use boatload in a sentence

Over the weekend, we sipped way too much wine and perfumed the house with a boatload of bacon.
Why the often-parodied girls’ weekend is needed now more than ever|Kinsey Gidick|October 28, 2021|Washington Post
Edtech unicorns have boatloads of cash to spend following the capital boost to the sector in 2020.
How is edtech spending its extra capital?|Natasha Mascarenhas|April 1, 2021|TechCrunch
Yet the vibe works, combining jazzier-than-expected styling with a boatload of amenities.
Sport sedans make spirited return|Joe Phillips|March 19, 2021|Washington Blade
New Orleans got younger and more fun on paper, Adams should help shoulder the load inside, and Griffin has stockpiled a boatload of draft picks as he attempts to construct a sustainable winner around Williamson.
NBA free agency winners and losers: A tough weekend for the Wizards and Knicks|Ben Golliver|November 23, 2020|Washington Post

It takes many years and boatloads of money to get a single spacecraft off the ground and out of Earth’s atmosphere.
We need to shield the US space program from election cycle chaos|Neel Patel|October 5, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Here's hoping Aronofsky's passion project makes a boatload of money—despite its flaws.
‘Noah’ Review: An Ambitious, Flawed Biblical Tale That You Have to See|Andrew Romano|March 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As the festival wraps, Ragnar Kjartansson's boatload of musicians play its closing notes.
Venice Biennale Sails into the Sunset|Blake Gopnik|November 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Expect a boatload of commemorative coins, plates, T-shirts, and baby tchotchkes of all sorts to be sold.
The Royal Baby Is Already Making Britain Better|Daniel Gross|July 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“Google, these big outfits, they get subpoenas by the boatload every day,” Deputy Chief Smith said.
Fugitives Who Love Facebook: The Next Big Crime Wave|Winston Ross|April 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Workers with professional or graduate degrees sometimes make a boatload of it.
We Overvalue College|Professor X|September 11, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Finally he got a boatload of the stuff, and, jumping in, sculled the little craft out to the Surprise.
The Rival Campers|Ruel Perley Smith
They had a good boatload, yet they moved through the water pretty smartly.
Jack Harkaway's Boy Tinker Among The Turks|Bracebridge Hemyng
And now the very last boatload was well-nigh ready to start.
Earth's Enigmas|Charles G. D. Roberts
She presently became radiant with hope, for a whole boatload of earnest souls went over to reason calmly with the combatants.
The Wrong Twin|Harry Leon Wilson
One boatload charged up the bank, but not a man reached the top.
The Childrens' Story of the War, Volume 4 (of 10)|James Edward Parrott

British Dictionary definitions for boatload

boatload

/ (ˈbəʊtˌləʊd) /

noun

the amount of cargo or number of people held by a boat or ship

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