English Reference

Word

yacht

US/ˈjɑt/

UK/jˈɒt/

Definitions

01pleasure boat

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. a large boat with sails or a motor, used for racing or for relaxing on the water.

n. a medium-to-large vessel used for private cruising, leisure, or competitive sailing.

“They spent their summer holiday sailing a yacht around the Greek islands.”

“The billionaire's luxury yacht was equipped with a helicopter pad and a small swimming pool on the upper deck.”

Usage

The noun is countable.

02dice game

C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Technical

n. a type of game played with dice, similar to Yahtzee.

n. a specific dice game that served as a precursor to the modern commercial game Yahtzee.

“We played a few rounds of Yacht during our rainy afternoon at the cabin.”

“The rules of Yacht are slightly more restrictive than its modern commercial descendants, requiring players to follow a specific scoring sequence.”

Usage

Proper noun in some contexts.

Etymology

Circa 1557; variant of yaught, earlier yeaghe (“light, fast-sailing ship”), from Dutch jacht (“yacht; hunt”), in older spelling jaght(e), short for jaghtschip (“light sailing vessel, fast pirate ship”, literally “pursuit ship”), compound of jacht and schip (“ship”). In the 16th century the Dutch built light, fast ships to chase the ships of pirates and smugglers from the coast. The ship was introduced to England in 1660 when the Dutch East India Company presented one to King Charles II, who used it as a pleasure boat, after which it was copied by British shipbuilders as a pleasure craft for wealthy gentlemen.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

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.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL 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: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
Frequency
Frequent
Level
B1 · Intermediate
Updated

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