can buoy

American  

noun

1. a cylindrical, unlighted buoy used as a channel marker.

---

can buoy British  

noun

1. nautical a buoy with a flat-topped cylindrical shape above water, marking the left side of a channel leading into a harbour: red in British waters but green (occasionally black) in US waters Compare nun buoy

---

Etymology

Origin of can buoy

First recorded in 1620–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

can buoy

By buying Exact Sciences and its series of cancer tests that generate about $3 billion in annual revenue, Abbott can buoy its own diagnostics business.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 20, 2025

Lacking the bluster that can buoy other track stars, Huddle’s style is quieter.

From New York Times ● Jun. 9, 2016

But how it will play in the real Paris, Texas, and whether or not it can buoy Coach's sagging profits, is another matter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2014

Fans can buoy you up, but pleasing them can leave you deaf to the wider audience.

From BBC ● May 29, 2013

So intent was the lieutenant-commander upon his intended prey that he had failed to notice the proximity of a black-and-white can buoy now almost on the starboard bow.

From With Beatty off Jutland A Romance of the Great Sea Fight by Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)