jolly boat

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noun

a light boat carried at the stern of a sailing vessel.

a small pleasure sailboat for use in sheltered waters.

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Origin of jolly boat

1720–30; jolly<Danish jolleyawl¹

Words nearby jolly boat

jollities, jollity, jollop, jolly, Jolly balance, jolly boat, jolly jumper, Jolly Roger, Jolo, Jolson, jolt

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use jolly boat in a sentence

Mr M—,” would the first-lieutenant cry out, “why did you stay so long on shore with the jolly-boat?
Newton Forster|Captain Frederick Marryat
In the morning the boats returned; and we were much concerned to hear that they had seen nothing of the jolly-boat.
Voyage of H.M.S. Pandora|Edward Edwards
The seaman dodged, and the cider mug spun into the planks of a jolly boat.
Famous Privateersmen and Adventurers of the Sea|Charles H. L. Johnston
We were hurled up on a wave, and from the crest I saw the capsized jolly-boat some distance off.
The Cryptogram|William Murray Graydon

Both the sailors on board had been drowned, but the Captain himself had managed to make good his escape in the jolly boat.
Strange Stories|Grant Allen

British Dictionary definitions for jolly boat

jolly boat

noun

a small boat used as a utility tender for a vessel

a small sailing boat used for pleasure

Word Origin for jolly boat

C18: jolly probably from Danish jolle yawl 1

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