buoy
[boo-ee, boi]
- 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.
- a life buoy.
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- to keep afloat or support by or as if by a life buoy; keep from sinking (often followed by up): The life jacket buoyed her up until help arrived.
- Nautical. to mark with a buoy or buoys.
- to sustain or encourage (often followed by up): Her courage was buoyed by the doctor's assurances.
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- to float or rise by reason of lightness.
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Origin of buoy
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for buoyed
Contemporary Examples
Last year, buoyed by his 2012 reelection, Obama dismissed the notion of schmoozing with his Republican tormentors on Capitol Hill.
That case was buoyed by a federal investigation into how Cuomo conducted a commission he created to root out Albany corruption.
Cuomo in turn was buoyed by big margins in New York City and its surrounding suburbs.
But by 1928, he was ready to get back into the fray, buoyed by supporters in and out of the media.
From The Square Deal to The New Deal: The Overlapping Political Identities of TR and FDRJohn Avlon
September 9, 2014
The state is also one where Obama won 44% of the vote in 2012 buoyed by high African-American turnout.
Historical Examples
Then Pounddug Slough was kept thoroughly dredged and buoyed.
The Woman-HatersJoseph C. Lincoln
It was just this which kept the girl from her pillow, buoyed by a feverish excitement.
NobodyLouis Joseph Vance
He was floating, a pale red, velvety air caressed him and buoyed him.
They Twinkled Like JewelsPhilip Jos Farmer
Now all nets are “swum,” that is to say, all are above the warps and are buoyed on the surface.
Edward FitzGerald and "Posh"James Blyth
Buoyed up by so much excitement, Johnnie managed to stand for a moment.
The Rich Little Poor BoyEleanor Gates
buoy
- a distinctively shaped and coloured float, anchored to the bottom, for designating moorings, navigable channels, or obstructions in a body of waterSee also life buoy
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- (tr usually foll by up) to prevent from sinkingthe belt buoyed him up
- (tr usually foll by up) to raise the spirits of; hearten
- (tr) nautical to mark (a channel or obstruction) with a buoy or buoys
- (intr) to rise to the surface
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Word Origin
C13: probably of Germanic origin; compare Middle Dutch boeie, boeye; see beacon
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 buoyed
buoy
buoy
v.
late 16c., "to mark with a buoy," from buoy (n.). Meaning "rise up, lift, sustain" is from c.1600, perhaps influenced by Spanish boyar "to float," ultimately from the same source. In the figurative sense (of hopes, spirits, etc.) it is recorded from 1640s. Related: Buoyed; buoying.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper