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
Relevance
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
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
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Recent Examples of boats
Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2026
Fishery observers are workers who collect data on board fishing boats for the government to use to inform regulations.
—Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
There will be countless props, from barrels to boats to a shipwreck that has identifiers of both the Bruins and the Lightning.
—Joe Smith, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Humpback whales are known to feed near the surface, especially when chasing schools of herring, which can sometimes bring them close to boats or kayakers.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Others remember boats navigating debris and shallow water to bring victims’ bodies ashore.
—Gary Fields, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
While the Allegheny River is currently closed to boats and barges from mile marker 1 up to mile marker 72 until March 1, both the Monongahela and the Ohio rivers remain open.
—Christopher Derose, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Replete with fast cars, boats, guns, explosions and huge vaults, the teaser packs a lot into 90 seconds.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2026
The directors decided to follow Israa and her family’s voyage on foot and in buses, boats, and trains.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2026
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
Noun
In 1884, the Ocklawaha boats were so crowded that some tourists skipped that excursion, the newspaper said.
—Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2026
Fishery observers are workers who collect data on board fishing boats for the government to use to inform regulations.
—Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
There will be countless props, from barrels to boats to a shipwreck that has identifiers of both the Bruins and the Lightning.
—Joe Smith, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Humpback whales are known to feed near the surface, especially when chasing schools of herring, which can sometimes bring them close to boats or kayakers.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Others remember boats navigating debris and shallow water to bring victims’ bodies ashore.
—Gary Fields, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
While the Allegheny River is currently closed to boats and barges from mile marker 1 up to mile marker 72 until March 1, both the Monongahela and the Ohio rivers remain open.
—Christopher Derose, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Replete with fast cars, boats, guns, explosions and huge vaults, the teaser packs a lot into 90 seconds.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2026
The directors decided to follow Israa and her family’s voyage on foot and in buses, boats, and trains.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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
-
With their imposing bulk, elegant curves, colorfully painted sterns, and ornate decorations, the vessels were among the most distinctive and beautiful ships on the seas.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Lake Superior and Lake Michigan are expected to experience high waves and damaging ice accumulation onto vessels, and central Michigan is under a flood warning due to ice jams that could obstruct the waterways, causing flooding, according to the NWS.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
One of the advantages, according to Guzy, is access to smaller ports that larger ships can’t reach, like Lipari, one of the Aeolian Islands off Sicily.—
Laura Begley Bloom,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
With their imposing bulk, elegant curves, colorfully painted sterns, and ornate decorations, the vessels were among the most distinctive and beautiful ships on the seas.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Star Breeze sails year-round in French Polynesia, with voyages departing almost every week, according to the cruise line’s website.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Where National Geographic Endurance Sails Endurance often sails in icy waters, including those in the Arctic and around Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falkland Islands.—
Kristen E. Pope,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The view from the top of the castle looks down upon a glittering bay below, filled with mega-yachts and cruise ships.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Renowned British designer Malcolm McKeon, famous for creating elegant, unfussy sailing yachts, penned the exterior, combining the sleekness and balance of a sloop with the volume and comfort of a superyacht.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The whippet-fast lift system got even more efficient this season with the introduction of the Explorer Gondola, the world’s speediest 10-person gondola that ferries skiers from base to peak on heated seats.—
Amy Tara Koch,
Robb Report,
29 Jan. 2026
-
In late November, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which ferries 80% of all Kazakh oil supplies from Kazakhstan to the Black Sea, said it had been attacked twice in four days.—
Vasco Cotovio,
CNN Money,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Even before the expedition reached land, Islanders had gone out to the ships, paddling canoes or reed bundles, or just swimming, unafraid and unarmed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Reunited with the men, the family crosses the Mekong in canoes to refugee camps in Thailand on a dark and rainy night.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Best Shopping Artigianato Artistico Ampezzano Cortina is home to centuries-old crafts traditions, including furniture making, deer-antler carving, and more.—
Laura Itzkowitz,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Anti-ICE sentiment is also being incorporated in various crafts, appearing in cross-stitch patterns, felted brooches and beaded bracelets.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Diving bell spiders, for example, trap air bubbles to survive underwater, while fire ants link their water-repellent bodies together to form floating rafts during floods.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Yet the massive Coast Guard operation to prevent Cubans, who usually arrive on homemade boats and rafts, and Haitians, usually arriving on overloaded sailboats and rustic freighters, from landing continued.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boats. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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