- present participle of moor.
mooring
Americannoun
-
a place for mooring a vessel
-
a permanent anchor, dropped in the water and equipped with a floating buoy, to which vessels can moor
Etymology
Origin of mooring
1375–1425; late Middle English; compare Middle Dutch moor; see moor 2, -ing 1
Explanation
A mooring is kind of like a parking lot for boats — it's a place people can keep their dinghies, sailboats, or ships tied up. One complication of owning a boat is that you need to rent a mooring for it, a place to keep it while you're not out on the water. Piers, docks, and wharfs all typically provide moorings for boats and ships, where they can be attached securely with ropes. Mooring comes from the verb moor, "to fasten by cable," from a Germanic root.
Vocabulary lists containing mooring
"Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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Song of Solomon
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"Paul Revere's Ride," Vocabulary from the poem
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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.
A 10,000-square-foot restricted access warehouse to be built at the port will house mooring lines, pedestrian barriers, gangways and repair gear for the US Navy, said a spokeswoman.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
Police said they were aware of a boat having been taken from its mooring in Brightlingsea, which has since been located "adrift in the water".
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026
Asked about the 5.5 million barrels of fuel that, according to Kpler data, arrived from Russia at the company’s mooring in the bay of Mersin this year, Ayrik said he couldn’t discuss the company’s customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 27, 2025
The mooring lines tethered to the ocean floor are made of rope nearly thick as a telephone pole and under heavy tension.
From Seattle Times ● May 14, 2024
Maybe on board the Hispaniola, flying before the wind, mooring by a tropical island with green palms crowding the mountains and bright tropical flowers—real ones—poking out between them.
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
