Definition
n. a floating object that helps ships stay on course or warns them of danger. It can also be a small island or a person who keeps someone's spirits up.
n. a floating object used to mark a position on water, provide a safe anchorage, or warn of hazards. In a figurative sense, it refers to a person who provides emotional support or a small island.
Examples
“The ship followed the red buoy to the harbor.”
“The lighthouse keeper maintained several buoys to guide the vessels safely through the rocky coastline.”
“While the physical buoys were essential for navigation, the crew relied on the buoy of their captain's steady leadership to maintain morale during the storm.”
Examples
simple
“The ship followed the red buoy to the harbor.”
contextual
“The lighthouse keeper maintained several buoys to guide the vessels safely through the rocky coastline.”
complex
“While the physical buoys were essential for navigation, the crew relied on the buoy of their captain's steady leadership to maintain morale during the storm.”
Etymology
From Middle English boy, boye, from Middle Dutch boeye (“float, buoy”), from Old French boue (“piece of wood or cork that floats above an anchor to indicate where it is anchored”) (modern French bouée), ultimately from Frankish *baukn (“beacon”). Doublet of beacon. Same root as English bon in bonfire. Alternatively, and perhaps less likely (due to the unexplained shift in meaning), from Middle Dutch boeye (“shackle, fetter”), from Old French buie (“fetter, chain”), from Latin boia (“a (leather) collar, band, fetter”), from Ancient Greek βόεος (bóeos), βόειος (bóeios, “of ox-hide”), from βοῦς (boûs, “ox”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws (“cow”). Noun sense 2 was coined by American linguist Scott K. Lindell in 2003.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Idioms
01. buoy up
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/buoy
「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0