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Glite Dictionary
🏎️ Up-and-down motion 🐬 Leaping movement
porpoising

porpoising

8.4
Repeated leaping movement of dolphins or boats as they move over waves
  • noun
  • /ˈpɔrˌpoʊzɪŋ/
translation icon : saltar
  • The video captured the smooth porpoising of the animals as they traveled alongside the ship.

Examples

  • High-speed boats often experience porpoising as they bounce over the waves.

  • The dolphins' porpoising delighted everyone watching from the shore.

  • The boat was porpoising over the waves.

  • Look at the dolphins porpoising in the water!

  • The boat was porpoising over the waves, making it difficult for the passengers to stay seated.

  • As the dolphins swam alongside us, we watched their graceful porpoising in and out of the water.

  • While fishing, we noticed the porpoising of boats in the distance as they navigated through the rough sea.

Synonyms

bouncing
vsporpoising
18 1.6

Movement of an object hitting a surface and coming back up

is repeated leaping motion over waves rather than hitting a surface
flapping
vsporpoising
2 1.0

A repeated up-and-down movement of wings, flags, or sails

is a forceful repeated leap over waves rather than loose waving

Antonyms

stillness
38 3.5

A time of complete quiet and no movement that feels calm

How Bouncy

breacher
8.9
porpoising
8.4
skimming
3.4
surfacing
4 4.8

Surface Forms

porpoising singular
porpoisings plural

Morphology

porpoising = porpoise (semi-transparent) = porpoise + ing

The word is formed from the verb 'porpoise' plus -ing, but the motion sense is metaphorical and may not be fully obvious to learners.

Etymology

Porpoising comes from the animal porpoise, known for 'bouncing' through the sea by leaping, so the repeated leaping of dolphins or the way a boat jumps over waves is called porpoising.