gunnel
1 Americannoun
noun
noun
noun
Etymology
Origin of gunnel1
First recorded in 1680–90; origin uncertain
Origin of gunnel2
1425–75; Middle English. See gunwale
Vocabulary lists containing gunnel
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.
Then I made my point, feet on the gunnel, boat rolling, my singlenote language blasting from the whistle, and Richard Parker moaning and gasping at the bottom of the boat.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
![]()
Hinkle went over the starboard gunnel and dropped down into the water.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
![]()
Under the tarpaulin, he had another twelve inches of space, the distance between the gunnel, which supported the tarpaulin, and the benches, so three feet in all, barely enough for him to stand.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
![]()
He looked beyond the gunnel at the open seas.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
![]()
Strapping his helmet on now, he decided he was done looking over the gunnel.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
![]()
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.