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Glite Dictionary
gangplank

gangplank

5 7.1
A movable bridge people use to get on or off a ship at a dock
  • noun
  • /ˈɡæŋˌplæŋk/
translation icon : pasarela
  • As the ship docked, the crew lowered the gangplank to allow passengers to disembark.

Examples

  • Then he turned and walked the gangplank to board the ship with its bird-headed prow and stern.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Watch your step on the gangplank.

    Striptease (1996)

  • May I walk you up the gangplank?

    Royal Wedding (1951)

  • Lalo takes her arm and helps her to mount the gangplank, then steps up behind her.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Others set up a gangplank and beckoned the visitors to step ashore.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Hector and Thalia climb up the gangplank and approach him.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Henry made his way down the metal gangplank, dodging freight trucks and other motorists, and onto Venetian soil.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Jared was already halfway up the gangplank, greeting the captain with loud cries of welcome.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The father led the procession up the gangplank—a good test of its safety.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Hanrald and Brigit carefully crossed the gangplank, each carrying a bundle containing polished armor.

    Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

gangway
vsgangplank
6 6.4

A narrow temporary bridge used to walk onto a ship or across mud

is used only for ship access at docks rather than general crossings
gangboard
vsgangplank
  • Archaic
9.9

A temporary plank people use to walk between a ship and the dock

is a movable bridge used specifically at a dock for getting on or off

Surface Forms

gangplank singular
gangplanks plural

Morphology

gangplank = gang + plank (semi-transparent) = gang + plank

The meaning is compositionally predictable (a plank used as a boarding passage), but the sense of 'gang' as 'walkway' is a specialized/nautical sense that may not be known to all learners.

Etymology

Gangplank comes from two parts: gang, an old word meaning 'a way to walk', and plank, meaning 'a wooden board'. So it literally means a 'walking board', which is why a gangplank is the movable board people use to get on or off a ship.