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bottom

bottom

1 9.9
A ship, especially one used to carry goods
  • noun
  • /ˈbɑːtəm/
  • Archaic
: buque
  • Bottom of the ship all the way aft.

Examples

  • There was a boatman to take care of the boats, to put them in the water in the spring and scrape their bottoms in the winter.

  • Making sure that the boat's bottom is working, secured, and properly painted is one investment that you can make.

    Blog text (32)
  • We're at the bottom of the ship.

  • It's taking us to the bottom of the ship!

    Fiction book (1998)
  • You get to watch them through this viewing gallery in the bottom of the ship.

  • In the bottom of a ferry that stank of oil, she covered herself with a coarse blanket.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Keaton is weaving through tight, low-ceiling corridors, looking in every cabin, working his way toward the bottom of the boat.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • The cargo ship was neatly anchored at the bottom to load supplies for the long journey ahead.

  • At the bottom of the ship, the crew prepared for the unloading of goods once they reached the dock.

  • The repairs to the bottom of the ship were essential after it had endured heavy seas during the storm.

Synonyms

ship
vsbottom
∞ 1.0

A large boat that carries people or goods across the sea

is a historic nautical word that referred to such craft
vessel
vsbottom
370 3.3

A large boat or ship used for travel on water

is a historical maritime term once used for the same thing
freighter
vsbottom
70 4.0

A large ship that carries goods between ports for sale

is the older maritime term rather than this modern word
cargo ship
vsbottom
31 3.0

A large ship that carries goods between ports

is the historical maritime label for this cargo role
merchant ship
vsbottom
7 3.4

A ship that carries goods to sell

is an older nautical word used mainly in past usage
cargo vessel
vsbottom
5 3.4

A ship that carries goods, often in containers

is a dated nautical expression for such craft
merchantman
vsbottom
  • Archaic
1 8.9

A ship that carries goods for trade, often between countries

is a dated nautical term with the same meaning

Idioms

40 3.2

To do something completely by checking every part

25 4.8

To reach the lowest point in your life before you begin to get better

12 6.6

The worst choices left after better ones are gone

at bottom
  • Formal
6 6.6

Basically what is most true about someone or something

Use the least good options because nothing better is left

Suddenly become much worse or fail after being stable

To be very sure that something will happen

A late action that deals with a problem only after it has happened

To risk all your money because you are sure something will happen

Compounds

bottom line
  • Informal
393 3.7

The most important point in a situation

bottom line
  • Specialized
86 4.0

The final total showing a company's profit or loss

rock bottom
  • Informal
47 4.4

A very low point in life, money, or feelings

21 6.0

A way that starts with small parts and moves to the whole

16 7.4

The last part of the final inning in baseball when the home team bats, a final chance to win

bottom feeder
  • Offensive
14 7.7

A person who gains from other people's problems by taking advantage of them

9 4.5

At the lowest possible price or level

The second half of an inning when the home team bats

bell-bottom
  • Archaic
5 3.9

Trousers with legs that become wider below the knee

Foggy Bottom
  • Literature
4 8.2

A nickname for the United States government office that deals with other countries

An amount of money that is as low as possible

3 2.9

The ground at the lowest part of a river channel where water flows

3 3.7

Having a level base that is not curved

3 3.7

The lowest part of the sea where sand and mud rest

3 2.5

The floor of the sea where sand, rocks, and animals live

An animal, often a fish, that lives on the bottom of rivers or lakes and eats dead plants and animals

1 3.1

Ground under the water at the lowest part of a lake

1 7.5

A hidden board in a box or trunk that makes a secret space for hiding things

A cheaper model in a product range that has lower quality and is chosen to save money

An animal like a fish that lives and eats on the bottom of a lake, river, or sea

1 5.6

Having a curved bottom rather than a flat one

bottom dog
  • Offensive
1 9.2

A person or group with low rank who usually loses in competition

bottom quark
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A very small particle created in particle experiments that is much heavier than an electron

1 4.6

A fish that lives near the sea floor, like cod or haddock

The lowest point something can reach

round-bottom flask
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A glass container with a round body and a narrow neck used for heating or mixing chemicals

1 3.1

A container with a level base that stands steadily

With a bottom made of copper often used for pans

A fish that lives near the bottom of lakes, rivers, or the sea

1 5.8

A cut of beef from the rear leg used for pot roast

1 9.9

Influence from people in a community, sometimes using sexual appeal to sway decisions

1 4.1

A boat with a level hull for shallow, calm water

bottom rot
  • Specialized
1 7.9

A disease caused by a fungus that makes the bottom leaves of plants rot first

bottom fermentation
  • Specialized
6.3

A slow, cold process that makes alcohol in beer where yeast settles to the bottom, used to make lager beers

5.5

A yeast that sinks to the bottom of a beer tank and makes lager beer

A fish that lives on the bottom of a tank or lake and stays still to catch prey

bottom rot fungus
  • Specialized
8.7

A fungus that makes the lower parts of lettuce and other plants rot

A habit of always expecting the worst in situations

copper-bottom
  • Specialized
8.5

A sheet of copper fixed to a ship's bottom to stop barnacles and sea life

fidget-bottom
  • Informal
9.9

A person who cannot sit still and often moves or plays with things

8.1

A very large blue-grey whale that migrates in southern oceans

Surface Forms

bottom singular
bottoms plural

Etymology

A helpful way to remember the old use of bottom for a ship is to think of the ship's lower part or base; in old speech people sometimes called whole vessels 'bottoms' because of that. So the word was used for ships in past times.