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Showing results for can buoy. Search instead for gas buoy.

can buoy

American  

noun

  1. a cylindrical, unlighted buoy used as a channel marker.


can buoy British  

noun

  1. nautical a buoy with a flat-topped cylindrical shape above water, marking the left side of a channel leading into a harbour: red in British waters but green (occasionally black) in US waters Compare nun buoy

"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 can buoy

First recorded in 1620–30

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.

See Examples For:

By buying Exact Sciences and its series of cancer tests that generate about $3 billion in annual revenue, Abbott can buoy its own diagnostics business.

From MarketWatch Nov. 20, 2025

Although no single moment in the debate seems likely to substantially alter the course of the race, debates can buoy or sink candidacies.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 10, 2024

Lacking the bluster that can buoy other track stars, Huddle’s style is quieter.

From New York Times Jun. 9, 2016

Profits from international operations can buoy the stock in the home market even if "home" profits aren't doing so well because the "home" economy is underperforming.

From BBC Feb. 24, 2015

So intent was the lieutenant-commander upon his intended prey that he had failed to notice the proximity of a black-and-white can buoy now almost on the starboard bow.

From With Beatty off Jutland A Romance of the Great Sea Fight by Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)

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