freeboard

American  

[free-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈfriˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

1. Nautical.

   1. the distance between the level of the water and the upper surface of the freeboard deck amidships at the side of a hull: regulated by the agencies of various countries according to the construction of the hull, the type of cargo carried, the area of the world in which it sails, the type of water, and the season of the year.

   2. (on a cargo vessel) the distance between the uppermost deck considered fully watertight and the official load line.

   3. the portion of the side of a hull that is above the water.

2. Civil Engineering. the height of the watertight portion of a building or other construction above a given level of water in a river, lake, etc.

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freeboard British  

/ ˈfriːˌbɔːd /

noun

1. the space or distance between the deck of a vessel and the waterline

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Etymology

Origin of freeboard

1670–80; free + board; translation of French franc bord

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

freeboard

"Majority of the incidents involved bulk carriers, and tugs and barges with low freeboard and slow speed while underway, and the incidents occurred in hours of darkness," it said.

From Reuters ● Aug. 11, 2023

Their low freeboard means passengers have little time in an emergency.

From Washington Times ● May 5, 2020

“I was saying 2 feet freeboard at the 100-year level a year ago and people were saying, ‘You crazy academic, that’s never going to happen.’

From Slate ● Aug. 30, 2018

The ship that was captured on Monday had a low freeboard and was travelling so slowly that it was, he says "almost a sitting duck".

From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2017

It continued to float, rising above every wave, but there was no freeboard and the surf of every breaking wave rode clear across it, washing around me like a river washing around a boulder.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

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