boatman

[ boht-muh n ]

/ ˈboʊt mən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR boatman ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural boat·men.

a person skilled in the use of small craft.

a person who sells, rents, or works on boats.

RELATED WORDS

ferryman, oar, gondolier

Nearby words

Also boatsman.

Origin of boatman

First recorded in 1505–15; boat + -man

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

Examples from the Web for boatman

As yet there was no sign of the boatman, but we saw two boys rowing towards us.
Ten Years' Captivity in the Mahdi's Camp 1882-1892|F. R. Wingate
“If you want to get out to the yacht, you likely can find some boatman at the dock who will row you over,” the clerk advised.
The Deserted Yacht|Mildred A. Wirt, AKA Ann Wirt
It was not easy, either, to find a boatman willing or able to go so far—the distance was greater by water than by land.
The Castaways of Pete's Patch|Carroll Watson Rankin
All in the audience could hear it, and as it came once more our four boys glanced quickly at the boatman.
Camping on the St. Lawrence|Everett T. Tomlinson

Her smile merited the adjective "sweet" more than any Sylvia had ever seen; but the boatman's next words startled the listener.
The Opened Shutters|Clara Louise Burnham

British Dictionary definitions for boatman

boatman

/ (ˈbəʊtmən) /

noun plural -men

a man who works on, hires out, repairs, or operates a boat or boats

short for water boatman

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