boats 1 of 2

noun

plural of boat
1
as in vessels
a small buoyant structure for travel on water paddling the little boat across the lake is great exercise, but tiring

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in ships
a large craft for travel by water you'll have to take a passenger boat to get to the island

Synonyms & Similar Words

boats

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of boat
as in sails
to travel on water in a vessel boated to the picnic site on an island in the bay

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of boats
Noun
An entire evening can be spent just sitting on the terrace with a glass of wine, watching the boats and cruise ships go by. — Julia Wytrazek, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026 Attendees can also compare boats and layouts, meet manufacturers and dealers and find resources for every stage of the sailing journey. — Michelle Richardson, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 Sportfishing boats are catching thousands of yellowfin tuna after two lean years, but the fishery is far quieter than during the 2014-15 marine heat wave. — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 During a shoot on a remote island, Lee and the rest of the crew had to lug heavy equipment off boats and across a mountain. — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 One track is a horror series about an unknown creature taking down boats and killing people. — David Hookstead Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026 There’s no bridge between the property and Biscayne Bay, giving boats direct access to open water. — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 6 Oct. 2026 Two Dominican Republic Navy patrol boats arrived to help offload the people from the sinking vessel, the Coast Guard said. — David Goodhue october 6, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026 Over the summer, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company was reportedly in talks to build drone boats on the site. — Samantha Subin, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026
Verb
Down at the lake, boats just off the shore slowed to listen while swimmers took in the music from floaties. — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2026 Shrimp boats bob in the harbor, American flags flutter from pastel porches and old oak trees draped in Spanish moss offer cool shade. — Noreen Kompanik, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025 Kennebunkport, Maine Lobster boats bob in the waves and beachcombers search for shells. — Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boats
  1. vessels
  2. ships
  3. sails
  4. yachts
  5. ferries
  6. canoes
  7. crafts
  8. rafts
Noun
  • Russian Pacific Fleet vessels secured the exercise area, which was closed to civilian shipping and aircraft during the missile launches.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The vessels were effectively self-insured against attacks, according to the official's account, with higher crude prices making the voyages financially worthwhile despite the risks.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of vessels
Noun
  • Quantum sensors that can guide ships and aircraft without satellite signals.
    — Andrei Iancu, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Earlier testing included evaluations while ships were docked and at sea.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of ships
Verb
  • Seabourn sails the 264-passenger Seabourn Venture and twin Seabourn Pursuit, two lavish all-suite polar-class expedition ships cruising remote itineraries, each with two submarines.
    — Janice Wald Henderson, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Some of my favorites are coming back too, like El Pulpo Magnifico, Duane Flatmo's fire-breathing octopus, and the Monaco, a 40-foot ship with three masts that sails across dust instead of water.
    — Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of sails
Noun
  • At one point luxury travel meant being able to be anywhere and have the comforts of your office—yachts and Aman resorts offer satellite service and Wi-Fi so that you can be pampered but still take a meeting or be active in the family group chat.
    — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Today, explorer yachts are a staple of nearly every major shipyard’s lineup.
    — John Vorwald, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of yachts
Verb
  • The blockage of the strait, which normally ferries 20% of the world's oil, sent global energy prices soaring.
    — Kevin Breuninger,Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Iran has effectively halted trade traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, the maritime trade route that ferries roughly 20% of the world’s petroleum.
    — Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026
Definition of ferries
Noun
  • The city's boathouse rents canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards on a 109-acre lake, with hiking trails through the surrounding preserve.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • With spotters overlooking the fjords and communicating from land, fishers set fires in canoes to lure tuna close enough to harpoon.
    — Torben Rick, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of canoes
Noun
  • These family-friendly events include traditional music, dancing and hands-on crafts.
    — Adele Chapin, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Her paternal grandmother, who made traditional crafts, became one of the most important figures in her childhood.
    — Patricia Huon, Christian Science Monitor, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of crafts
Noun
  • This type of maritime migration is different from the once-common arrivals of rafts and other homemade vessels that Cubans are known to use to escape their homeland, and the overloaded freighters and sailboats used by people fleeing Haiti.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The Coast Guard had dropped inflatable rafts in the water nearby, but the teen — who was suffering from hypothermia — was too weak to swim to them.
    — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of rafts

Browse Nearby Words

boatloads
boats
bob
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Cite this Entry

“Boats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boats. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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