regatta

American  

[ri-gat-uh, -gah-tuh] / rɪˈgæt ə, -ˈgɑ tə /

noun

regattas plural

1. a boat race, as of rowboats, yachts, or other vessels.

2. an organized series of such races.

3. (originally) a gondola race in Venice.

4. a strong, striped cotton fabric that is of twill weave.

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regatta British  

/ rɪˈɡætə /

noun

1. an organized series of races of yachts, rowing boats, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• regattas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of regatta

1645–55; < Upper Italian ( Venetian ) regatta, regata, perhaps ≪ Vulgar Latin *recaptāre to contend, equivalent to *re- re- + *captāre to try to seize; see catch

Explanation

A regatta is an organized series of boat races. In a regatta, yachts or sailboats usually participate, but some regattas focus on rowboats or powerboats. In the 1650s, regatta related to a boat race among gondoliers, held on the Grand Canal in Venice. The Italian word regatta means "contention for mastery" and comes from the Latin word regattare, or "to compete, haggle, sell at retail." Regatta came to specifically mean "boat race" — and the many social events related to it — in the late 1700s.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

regatta regattas

Taking one during the regatta can offer an “insider’s perspective of the races,” said Pierre Roinson, president of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, which organizes the regatta.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Lost Bay Regatta is a local, multi-class sailing regatta held the first Saturday in October on Perdido Bay, the dividing line between Alabama and Florida.

From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2024

A hot-air balloon regatta due to take place over London on Sunday 21 July has been postponed once again due to poor weather conditions.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2024

“On April 20th, at a youth rowing regatta, an incident occurred that is currently being investigated by West Sacramento PD,” the statement reads in part.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2024

Roland, the regatta emcee, is at the water’s edge, a megaphone pressed to his lips.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Ships float off the coast throughout the year, but autumn ushers in one of the biggest sailing regattas on the Mediterranean.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

There is a wide range of ways for people of all abilities to take part in rowing, including personal challenges, indoor rowing, ocean crossings, regattas and international competitions.

From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2024

I really enjoyed your film because I have been connected to the rowing community here in Philadelphia and I worked on a book, “Boathouse Row,” and attended regattas.

From Salon ● Dec. 25, 2023

The victory moved the French into third place in the season standings after six of 11 regattas in the third season of tech billionaire Larry Ellison’s global league.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 25, 2022

Both schools could now count on tens of thousands of students, alumni, and excited citizens to turn out for their annual dual regattas in April, when they battled for preeminence in West Coast rowing.

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