buoy

[boo-ee, boi]

noun

1. Nautical.,  a distinctively shaped and marked float, sometimes carrying a signal or signals, anchored to mark a channel, anchorage, navigational hazard, etc., or to provide a mooring place away from the shore.

2. a life buoy.

verb (used with object)

1. to keep afloat or support by or as if by a life buoy; keep from sinking (often followed byup ).

   The life jacket buoyed her up until help arrived.

2. Nautical.,  to mark with a buoy or buoys.

3. to sustain or encourage (often followed byup ).

   Her courage was buoyed by the doctor's assurances.

   Synonyms: nurture, maintain, lighten, boost, uplift, lift

verb (used without object)

1. to float or rise by reason of lightness.

buoy

/ ˈbuːɪ, bɔɪ /

noun

1. a distinctively shaped and coloured float, anchored to the bottom, for designating moorings, navigable channels, or obstructions in a body of water See also life buoy

verb

1. to prevent from sinking

   the belt buoyed him up

2. to raise the spirits of; hearten

3. (tr) nautical to mark (a channel or obstruction) with a buoy or buoys

4. (intr) to rise to the surface

Word History and Origins

Origin of buoy¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English boye “a float,” from unattested Middle French boie, boue(e), from Germanic; akin to beacon

Word History and Origins

Origin of buoy¹

C13: probably of Germanic origin; compare Middle Dutch boeie, boeye ; see _beacon

Example Sentences

He chose to spend more time with friends, buoying his spirits.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The numbers: Business investment rose in September for the third month in a row — buoyed by spending on artificial intelligence — but the slumping industrial side of the U.S. economy only showed mild signs of improvement.

Read more on MarketWatch

The numbers: Business investment rose in September for the third month in a row — buoyed by spending on artificial intelligence — but the slumping industrial side of the U.S. economy only showed mild signs of improvement.

Read more on MarketWatch

Higher-end shoppers, meanwhile, are being buoyed by a rising stock market, growing home equity and sometimes pay increases as well.

Read more on Barron's

Higher-end shoppers, meanwhile, are being buoyed by a rising stock market, growing home equity and sometimes pay increases as well.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• beacon