kayak

American  

[kahy-ak] / ˈkaɪ æk /

Also kaiak,

noun

• kayaks
  plural

1. a traditional Inuit or Yupik canoe with a skin cover on a light framework, made watertight by flexible closure around the waist of the occupant and propelled with a double-bladed paddle.

2. a small boat resembling this, made commercially of a variety of materials and used in sports.

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verb (used without object)

1. to go or travel by kayak.

verb (used with object)

1. to travel on by kayak.

   to kayak the Colorado River.

kayak British  

/ ˈkaɪæk /

noun

1. a small light canoe-like boat used by the Inuit, consisting of a light frame covered with watertight animal skins

2. a fibreglass or canvas-covered canoe of similar design

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• kayaker
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• kayaks
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of kayak

First recorded in 1750–60, kayak is from the Inuit word qayaq

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Explanation

A kayak is a narrow one- or two-person boat that is propelled with a double-ended paddle. You can use a kayak in the ocean, on a pond or lake, or in a river. When you get in a kayak and start paddling around, you kayak (the verb). People who visit the beach often rent sea kayaks and kayak around the shore and between small islands. An even more adventurous way to kayak is in a whitewater kayak on a fast-moving river. Kayaks were first built and used by Inuits, Aleuts, and Yup'iks, and the word comes from the Inuit qayaq, "small boat of skins."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kayak kayaks

The department defines an incident as “any documented case where a shark approached and touched a person in the water, or touched a person’s surfboard, kayak, paddleboard, etc.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

The seals are out but they are not basking in the sunshine and neither are the holidaymakers who've come to kayak on Loch Leven's placid surface.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

If you’re looking to get active on the water, the Yacht Club of Saint-Tropez offers kayak, windsurf and paddleboard rentals, from around $23 per hour.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Bury got into a kayak but there were no oars nearby to help him paddle, he told the station.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

“Do you think the kayak shark is connected to Mom’s study?”

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

In warmer weather, you can rent kayaks, wave runners and paddleboards or take a seasonal cruise aboard the Lake Lawn Queen; winter brings cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, ice fishing and sledding.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

The Float and Fish excursion sends guests in kayaks along a clear and fast-moving section of the river, casting in pockets and eddies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

On the park's website, the authority said visitors must not enter the water at any time, which includes using kayaks, canoes, paddle boards and dinghies.

From BBC ● May 26, 2026

His large band, squeezed onto a stage scarcely longer than two kayaks laid end to end, is composed almost entirely of Haitian preachers’ kids raised in the country’s gospel tradition.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026

They took four dog sleds and nine kayaks.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

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