Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for gangplank. Search instead for Hub+plank.
Synonyms

gangplank

American  
[gang-plangk] / ˈgæŋˌplæŋk /

noun

  1. a flat plank or small, movable, bridgelike structure for use by persons boarding or leaving a ship at a pier.

gangplank British  
/ ˈɡæŋˌplæŋk /

noun

  1. nautical a portable bridge for boarding and leaving a vessel at dockside

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of gangplank

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; gang 1 + plank

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The couple was arrested on March 31, 2021, on the gangplank at Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal in New Jersey and held without bail.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 3, 2023

As the Canberra repatriated the PoWs to Puerto Madryn - the Welsh-speaking enclave of Argentina - in July 1982, a Navy photographer captured Irfon and Giorgio sharing a heartfelt goodbye handshake on the gangplank.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2022

In a way, Harry and Meghan have done them a favor by jumping ship, rather than being asked to walk the gangplank.

From Salon • Nov. 4, 2021

We’re basically going to walk out on the gangplank, and we’re going to give ourselves no options.’

From New York Times • Oct. 13, 2021

Ren’s probably here for this, I add to myself as I head up the gangplank.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.