Thesaurus results for BOATS

boats 1 of 2

noun

plural of boat

as in vessels

a small buoyant structure for travel on water paddling the little boat across the lake is great exercise, but tiring

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as in ships

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

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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

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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

Anyone can try to make a buck using her image, but the only way to get to Liberty Island and nearby Ellis Island is on the boats of Statue City Cruises, under contract with the National Park Service. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 Oct. 2026 In the Riviera Isles neighborhood, some people used paddle boats to get around without making waves. — Larry Seward, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026 The boat show, starts today and runs for five days, will exhibit more than 1,300 boats from small vessels to large, expensive yachts. — Robert Frank, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026 The most recent, in 2023, was yachting company Cantiere del Pardo, founded in 1973 and specializing in sailing boats. — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 26 Oct. 2026 The exercise took place in the northern Cretan Sea and brought together a wide range of Greek naval assets, air platforms and Israeli missile boats to demonstrate operational readiness and strengthen interoperability between the two navies. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026 Law described the dramatic operation to save lives along a remote route frequented by migrant smuggling boats. — Jaimie Ding, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026 Trump went on to poke fun at big UK news stories including Manchester City soccer club’s controversy, the small boats crisis and the recent mauling to death of a man by a tiger. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2026 The guests stayed in remote mountain huts and explored dramatic glaciers and fjords on foot, zip lines, jet boats, and helicopters. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 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

Noun

Elbit Systems’ naval portfolio includes unmanned surface vessels, underwater systems, integrated command-and-control (C2) suites, electro-optical and sonar systems, communications and electronic warfare technologies.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
The exhibition presents 63 original prints and limited-edition ceramics, including vessels, plates, pitchers and sculptural forms created by the artist after 1947.

— Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of vessels

Noun

Out in the harbor, the skeletons of derelict ships abandoned by sailors who had gone searching for gold formed the first and strangest San Francisco skyline.

— Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Why ships and airfields need new defenses China’s research focuses on defending valuable assets.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 25 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

Widely respected as a pioneer in responsible tourism, the Dunn family entered the space in 1991, and today their three small yachts—just 10 cabins each—are like boutique hotels at sea, with Relais & Châteaux’s stamp of approval.

— Alexandra Marvar, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026
Sure, the marina will accommodate yachts up to 240 feet-plus, but there will be no dry dock, maintenance yard, or chandlers.

— Chrissie McClatchie, Robb Report, 17 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

Instead, new tariffs will be applied to Canadian exports of cocoa powder, vinyl flooring, shampoo, canoes and other products.

— New York Times, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of canoes

Noun

This includes marine transportation, shipbuilding and repair, national defense and security, world-class research on autonomous crafts, shipping and logistics, tourism and recreation.

— Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Guests can participate in crafts and a night walk and visit educational booths.

— Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 22 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

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boatloads

boats

bob

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Style

“Boats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boats. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of boats

noun

verb

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