floating dock

American  

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.

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floating dock British  

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

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Etymology

Origin of floating dock

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Other luxe amenities include a floating dock and boat ramp, two outdoor pools, and a helipad.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 9, 2025

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025

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

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 5, 2025

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.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2024

The varsity poured it on for the last thirty seconds, just managing to pull even with the freshmen as they reached the floating dock at the shell house.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown