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Glite Dictionary
boathook

boathook

5.8
A long pole with a hook used to push, pull, or steady a boat
  • noun
  • /ˈboʊthʊk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : garfio de barco
  • He used the boathook to pull the boat closer to the dock.

Examples

  • The sailor reached for the boathook to catch the drifting line.

  • As we approached the shore, I grabbed the boathook to help steer us to safety.

  • Grab a boathook on your way out.

    Sideshow (2000)

  • When we were drawing close aboard, I stopped pulling, took hold of the boathook with my left hand, and reached for the fire axe with my right.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Get boathooks!

    Sideshow (2000)

  • "I showed him the fire axe, the one that is usually below the boathook, port and starboard on the wheelhouse bulkheads."

    Fiction book (1995)

  • He kicked up the boathook with his heel; it spun out of my hand and fell neatly on my deck.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • When the lines were all slipped and I was about to go to the wheelhouse, I saw one of the men go forward on the starboard deck and take the boathook from the rack.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Runar dropped down to Bobber's deck and cast away hard with a long boathook, then raised the mainsail to drop far downwind of them.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Two had boathooks; they snagged the chains and heaved Kittiwake close.

    Fiction book (1994)

Synonyms

quant
vsboathook
  • UK
1 9.9

A long pole used to push a boat through shallow water

is for pushing and pulling with a hooked end rather than only shallow water pushing
boat hook
vsboathook
3.9

A long pole with a hook used to push, pull, or catch things near boats

is used to push, pull, or handle vessels rather than catch items
barge pole
vsboathook
7.5

A long pole used to push and guide a boat like a barge on a canal

is meant for hooking and handling rather than for pushing large cargo craft

Surface Forms

boathook singular
boathooks plural

Morphology

boathook = boat + hook (transparent) = boat + hook

The meaning is a literal combination of 'boat' + 'hook': a hook used with or for boats, easily deduced by learners.

Etymology

The word boathook is made from boat and hook, meaning a 'hook for a boat'. Think of a long pole with a hooked end that you use to push, pull, or catch a boat, which is exactly what a boathook is used for.