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boat

US //ˈboʊt// UK //bˈəʊt// boat
  1. 1 watercraft (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    a vehicle used for traveling on water, like a ship or a small rowing boat.

    a vessel for transport by water, typically smaller than a ship but used broadly for various watercraft.

    Example

    We took a small boat out onto the lake to go fishing.

    Example

    The fishing boat struggled against the rising swell as the crew raced to secure the nets before the storm broke.
  2. 2 serving dish (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Cooking

    a small dish used for serving liquids like sauce or gravy.

    a container or utensil resembling a boat in shape, specifically used for serving sauces.

    Example

    Please pass the gravy boat so I can pour some over my potatoes.

    Example

    The waiter carefully placed a silver sauce boat on the table, filled with a rich reduction to accompany the roast.
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  1. 3 large car (n.)
    C1 Advanced Informal

    a very large, heavy, and often old car that is difficult to drive.

    a large, heavy vehicle, often implying it is cumbersome or inefficient to handle.

    Example

    My grandfather still drives that old boat of a car from the seventies.

    Example

    Navigating the narrow city streets in such a massive boat of a sedan proved nearly impossible for the novice driver.
  2. 4 astronomy (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Informal Science

    a name for the brightest flash of light ever seen in space.

    an acronym for 'Brightest Of All Time', referring to the exceptionally luminous gamma-ray burst GRB 221009A.

    Example

    Astronomers were amazed by the BOAT, the brightest explosion ever recorded.

    Example

    The detection of the BOAT challenged existing models of stellar collapse due to its unprecedented energetic output across the electromagnetic spectrum.

  3. 5 to travel by water (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to travel or go somewhere using a boat.

    to travel by boat; may also function transitively to mean the transport of goods via watercraft.

    Example

    We decided to boat across the river instead of taking the bridge.

    Example

    They spent the summer boating along the coast, stopping at various small islands to explore the local wildlife.
Origin

From Middle English bot, boot, boet, boyt (“boat”), from Old English bāt (“boat”), from Proto-West Germanic bait, from Proto-Germanic baitaz, baitą (“boat, small ship”), from Proto-Indo-European bʰeyd- (“to break, split”) (whence also fissure via Latin). Cognate with Old Norse beit (“boat”), Middle Dutch beitel (“little boat”). Old Norse bátr (whence Icelandic bátur, Norwegian båt, Danish båd), Dutch boot, German Boot, Occitan batèl and French bateau are all ultimately borrowings from the Old English word. Compare typologically ship << Proto-Indo-European *skey-; Russian долблёнка (dolbljónka) (< долби́ть (dolbítʹ)), Russian чёлн (čoln) (akin to коло́ть (kolótʹ)).

Idioms10 entries

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