boatload

American  

[boht-lohd] / ˈboʊtˌloʊd /

noun

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

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boatload British  

/ ˈbəʊtˌləʊd /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of boatload

First recorded in 1670–80; boat + load

Example Sentences

“We don’t mind having somebody get a boatload because they need…they have to survive,” Trump told reporters Sunday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

"It's frustrating. That money is going to players who are making an absolute boatload anyway," Murray, who has won three US Open mixed titles, told BBC Sport.

From BBC • Aug. 19, 2025

And that's strange since there have been a boatload of them.

From Salon • Apr. 30, 2025

Meanwhile, a boatload of other accusers and witnesses came out of the woodwork.

From Slate • Jan. 23, 2025

Couldn’t no one but a demon be that cold-hearted, and even if the Preacher had a whole boatload of things that’d make you wonder, couldn’t no one say he waren’t a man.

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis