a small vehicle that floats on water and is used for traveling or carrying things, usually smaller than a ship
We rented a boat to explore the lake.
Fishermen loaded their nets onto the boat at dawn.
✦ Old English ‘bāt’, related to Old Norse ‘beitr’, meaning a small vessel.
to travel on water in a boat, or to move people or things using a boat
In the summer, tourists boat along the canal to see the city.
They boated the supplies across the river after the bridge collapsed.
✦ Back-formation from the noun ‘boat’, first recorded as a verb in the 17th century.
a small building beside a lake, river, or the sea where boats and their equipment are kept, repaired, or launched
After paddling all morning, they steered the canoe back to the boathouse to take a break.
A small red boathouse stood at the edge of the frozen lake, surrounded by snow.
✦ boat + house; recorded in English since the early 19th century to describe a shelter for watercraft.
a strong boat that is kept on a large ship and used to take people to safety if the ship sinks
The captain ordered the crew to lower the lifeboat quickly.
Passengers climbed into the lifeboat as the ship started sinking.
✦ The term 'lifeboat' combines 'life' and 'boat', first recorded in the 1780s to describe boats built for saving lives from shipwrecks.
