boathouse

American  

[boht-hous] / ˈboʊtˌhaʊs /

noun

• boathouses
  plural

1. a building or shed, usually built partly over water, for sheltering a boat or boats.

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boathouse British  

/ ˈbəʊtˌhaʊs /

noun

1. a shelter by the edge of a river, lake, etc, for housing boats

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• boathouses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of boathouse

First recorded in 1715–25; boat + house

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

boathouse boathouses

The 103-acre island comes with approved plans and permission to build a lodge and boathouse.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

In 2010, the duo reportedly spent $28 million to extensively renovate the estate, which boasts 310 feet of private shoreline and a private boathouse.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 25, 2025

It was those watchmen who came to the boathouse to report that they’d spotted a man in a waterproof jacket drag the Zodiac up the embankment.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2025

“All the landscaping was gone. The boathouse was a mess. The bandstand was boarded up.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2024

Because of the way the light came through the boathouse, he was a silhouette, but I knew the compact, lean body and the way he held his muscular shoulders back.

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings

This 105-acre property, Camp Topridge, features, according to ProPublica, “an artificial waterfall and a great hall” for dining, and “more than 25 fireplaces, three boathouses, clay tennis court, and batting cage.”

From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2023

Outlining a cluster of historic boathouses along the Schuylkill River near the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the twinkly lights reflect off the water and give definition to the unique architecture of each building.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 18, 2023

In 79 C.E., in a desperate attempt to escape the impact of the Mount Vesuvius eruption, the people of Herculaneum huddled in boathouses along the town’s waterfront, situated on the west coast of central Italy.

From Science Magazine ● Aug. 25, 2021

But in the boathouses and on the docks, there is no more revered figure than the single sculler, who takes on exhausting races with no teammates to help.

From New York Times ● Jun. 1, 2021

Across the water he could see other fine mercher houses, tall and slender, the tidy gables of their rooftops making a dark silhouette against the night sky, their gardens and boathouses lit by glowing lanterns.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo