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🐴 A draft horse 🛶 Boat mover
poler

poler

8.7
A person who moves a boat by pushing a pole against the bottom of a river or canal
  • noun
  • /ˈpoʊlər/
translation icon : remador
  • The poler skillfully navigated the shallow waters by pushing against the riverbed.

Examples

  • My poler took me out one evening to catch the beautiful sunset.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Push-polers, follow me.

    The Ten Commandments (1956)

  • Dwight Poler.

    Blog text (28)

  • As a poler, she used a long pole to steer the raft through the narrow channel.

  • During our trip, the poler expertly propelled the canoe forward with swift, smooth movements.

Synonyms

boatman
vspoler
7 2.8

A man who rows or steers a boat to carry people across water

is a job title for general boat duties rather than the specific pole pushing method
boatsman
vspoler
1 4.0

A person who rows or guides a small boat

specializes in moving by pushing against the bottom rather than general boat handling
punter
vspoler
  • UK
9.1

A person who uses a long pole to move a flat boat on shallow water

applies to any boat or raft rather than only flat-bottomed ones
polesman
vspoler
8.1

A person who moves a boat by pushing with a long pole, often in shallow water

pushes by forcing a pole against the bottom rather than steering with it

Surface Forms

poler singular
polers plural

Morphology

poler = pole (transparent) = pole + er

This is a straightforward agent noun meaning 'a person who uses a pole' to move a boat or raft.

Etymology

Poler comes from pole plus -er, meaning 'one who uses a pole'. A helpful way to remember it is to picture someone pushing a boat with a long stick, because a poler is the person who moves a raft or boat by pushing on the river bottom with a pole.