oar

American  

[awr, ohr] / ɔr, oʊr /

noun

1. a long shaft with a broad blade at one end, used as a lever for rowing or otherwise propelling or steering a boat.

2. something resembling this or having a similar purpose.

3. a person who rows; oarsman.

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verb (used with object)

1. to propel with or as if with oars; row.

2. to traverse or make (one's way) by, or as if by, rowing.

verb (used without object)

1. to row.

2. to move or advance as if by rowing.

idioms

1. rest on one's oars,  to cease to make an effort; relax after exertion; stop working after success or completing a task.

   Once he became president, he was content to rest on his oars.

2. put in one's oar,  to meddle; interfere.

   He put in his oar and was told to mind his own business.

oar British  

/ ɔː /

noun

1. a long shaft of wood for propelling a boat by rowing, having a broad blade that is dipped into and pulled against the water. Oars were also used for steering certain kinds of ancient sailing boats

2. short for oarsman

3. to interfere or interrupt

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verb

1. to row or propel with or as if with oars

   the two men were oaring their way across the lake

oar More Idioms  

1. see put one's oar in.

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Other Word Forms

• oarless adjective
• oarlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of oar

before 900; Middle English ore, Old English ār; cognate with Old Norse ār

Example Sentences

Old wooden skis and a racing oar frame the door to the music room.

From Seattle Times

It’s like the waves, the rhythm, it takes two — you know, the two oars.

From Washington Post

The winners of the Class Day Regatta get a little pin with a gold oar and a white blade on it.

From Seattle Times

Mr. Dreissigacker is a co-founder of Concept 2, which makes high-tech oars and indoor rowing machines that are found in fitness centers and homes around the world.

From New York Times

The show is rich in drawings, too: extremely fine studies of saints’ heads and soldiers’ armor, and quicker sketches in which crossed lines suddenly resolve into a gondola and its oars.

From New York Times