outrigger

[ out-rig-er ]

/ ˈaʊtˌrɪg ər /

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See synonyms for outrigger on Thesaurus.com

noun

a framework extended outboard from the side of a boat, especially, as in South Pacific canoes, supporting a float that gives stability.

a bracket extending outward from the side of a racing shell, to support an oarlock.

the shell itself.

a spar rigged out from a ship's rail or the like, as for extending a sail.

a long, flexible rod, attached to a fishing boat near the stern, along which a fishing line may be threaded to keep it clear of the boat's wake when trolling.

a structure extending outward from a vehicle, vessel, or aircraft to increase stability or provide support for something.

a projecting beam, as for supporting a hoisting tackle.

a horizontal steel beam extending the base of a crane.

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Origin of outrigger

First recorded in 1740–50; out- + rig + -er¹

Words nearby outrigger

outreach, out-relief, Outremont, outride, outrider, outrigger, outright, outring, outro, outrow, outrun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for outrigger

Only one boat was moving, a long canoe with an outrigger; and from this something white was slowly waving.
Cursed|George Allan England
For a moment the canoe rocked in spite of its steadying outrigger, with the violence of the activities aboard it.
Cursed|George Allan England
The outrigger acts as a weight on the windward side, to prevent the narrow canoe from being blown over on the opposite side.
The Evolution of Culture|Augustus Henry Lane-Fox Pitt-Rivers
This I consider to be a more natural sequence than to suppose the outrigger invented as a means of steadying the dug-out canoe.
The Evolution of Culture|Augustus Henry Lane-Fox Pitt-Rivers

Wilkes says that whenever the outrigger gets to the leeward side, there is almost invariably an upset.
The Evolution of Culture|Augustus Henry Lane-Fox Pitt-Rivers

British Dictionary definitions for outrigger

outrigger

/ (ˈaʊtˌrɪɡə) /

noun

a framework for supporting a pontoon outside and parallel to the hull of a boat to provide stability

a boat equipped with such a framework, esp one of the canoes of the South Pacific

any projecting framework attached to a boat, aircraft, building, etc, to act as a support

rowing another name for rigger (def. 2)

Word Origin for outrigger

C18: from out- + rig 1 + -er 1; perhaps influenced by archaic outligger outlier

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

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outrigger

noun

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Origin of outrigger

Words nearby outrigger

Example sentences from the Web for outrigger

British Dictionary definitions for outrigger

noun

Word Origin for outrigger

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

outrigger

noun

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Origin of outrigger

Words nearby outrigger

Words related to outrigger

Example sentences from the Web for outrigger

British Dictionary definitions for outrigger

noun

Word Origin for outrigger