slipway

American  

[slip-wey] / ˈslɪpˌweɪ /

noun

Nautical.

1. (in a shipyard) the area sloping toward the water, on which the ways way ways are located.

2. marine railway.

3. a ramp on a factory ship for hauling aboard carcasses of whales for processing.

---

slipway British  

/ ˈslɪpˌweɪ /

noun

1. the sloping area in a shipyard, containing the ways

2. Also called: marine railway.  the ways on which a vessel is launched

3. the ramp of a whaling factory ship

4. a pillowcase; pillowslip

---

Etymology

Origin of slipway

First recorded in 1830–40; slip ¹ + way ¹

Example Sentences

Port Talbot Coastguard Rescue said it responded to reports of multiple children being in "serious difficulty" in the sea off the slipway at Aberavon beach, Neath Port Talbot, at about 20:30 BST on Sunday.

From BBC • Aug. 25, 2025

A 3D model of the slipway has also been created to aid research, and the site will be covered with a new layer of soil and topped with timbers in the style of the 1700s.

From BBC • Aug. 12, 2025

There are now plans to place a replica of the vessel on the end of the slipway as it would have looked under construction.

From BBC • Aug. 12, 2025

Buckler's Hard, the small hamlet in the New Forest where the slipway is located, was once home to one of the busiest private shipyards of the 1700s.

From BBC • Aug. 12, 2025

You started a marble off at the top, and it rolled round and round, down the slipway on the outside, until it got to the bottom, and then dropped into a chute.

From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill