oarlock

[ awr-lok, ohr- ]

/ ˈɔrˌlɒk, ˈoʊr- /

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noun

any of various devices providing a pivot for an oar in rowing, especially a swiveling, crutchlike or ringlike metal device projecting above a gunwale.

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Also called rowlock.

Origin of oarlock

before 1100; Middle English orlok,Old English ārloc.See oar, lock¹

Words nearby oarlock

OAPC, OAPEC, oar, oared, oarfish, oarlock, oars, oarsman, oarweed, oary, OAS

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

How to use oarlock in a sentence

He got up and slapped the oar back into the oarlock and we both rowed hard.
Swatty|Ellis Parker Butler
Had he heard something, the low groan of an oarlock, the mumble of a voice?
The Galloping Ghost|Roy J. Snell
A faint knock of oarlock was the only sound that disturbed the grave-like stillness.
Green Eyes|Roy J. Snell
"We were out on the river and broke an oarlock, Mr. Haskers," replied Dave.
Dave Porter in the South Seas|Edward Stratemeyer

Once in your seat, ship your oar by thrusting the handle in through the outrigger oarlock from outside.
The Eight-Oared Victors|Lester Chadwick

British Dictionary definitions for oarlock

oarlock

/ (ˈɔːˌlɒk) /

noun

US and Canadian a swivelling device attached to the gunwale of a boat that holds an oar in place and acts as a fulcrum during rowingAlso called: rowlock

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