Boat
/boʊt/
nounBeginner🔥Very CommonGeneral
1 meaning1 idiom/phrase1 question
Definitions
1
A vessel for water travel, typically smaller than a ship.
/boʊt/
nounneutralBeginner
General
A small vessel for travelling on water
The children played in the little boat.
💡 Simply: Something that floats on water and you can use to travel.
More Examples
2
He sailed his boat across the lake.
How It's Used
Maritime
"The fishing boat returned with a large catch."
Recreation
"We went for a ride in a small rowboat."
Idioms & expressions
rock the boat
To cause trouble or disrupt a situation.
"Don't rock the boat; let's just keep things as they are."
From Old English *bāt, from Proto-Germanic *bōt-, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂t-, related to Old Norse bát, Old High German bot, Old Saxon bōt.
The word 'boat' has a long history, appearing in various forms across many Germanic languages, indicating its importance in early water travel and trade.
Memory tip
Think of 'floating' - a boat floats on water.
Word Origin
LanguageOld English
Original meaning
"small vessel"
rowboatsailboatmotorboatfishing boat
Common misspellings
boteboate
Practice
Usage
70%Spoken
30%Written