floating dock

noun

1. a submersible, floating structure used as a dry dock, having a floor that is submerged, slipped under a floating vessel, and then raised so as to raise the vessel entirely out of the water.

floating dock

noun

1. Also called: floating dry dock. a large boxlike structure that can be submerged to allow a vessel to enter it and then floated to raise the vessel out of the water for maintenance or repair

Word History and Origins

Origin of floating dock¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Kids leap and slide from the floating docks, their sounds of delight travel across the surface.

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Its high-margin ship-repair segment offers steady earnings, underpinned by structural tailwinds from an ageing global fleet and upcoming third floating dock.

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In a statement Tuesday, harbor officials said the incident illuminated “a new vulnerability in floating dock design: a previously underrecognized hydrodynamic failure mechanism.”

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Separately, the US is planning to build its own floating dock off the coast to boost sea deliveries.

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A separate ship is on its way from the US carrying materials to build a floating dock and pier, to enable supplies on far larger cargo ships to get ashore.

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