whaleboat
1
6.7
- noun
- /ˈweɪlˌboʊt/
- And those of us that survived in ill-equipped whaleboats had to commit abominations in order to survive.
Examples
-
Steamship lines ply between only the principal ports, from which excursions to neighboring islands must be made by cutter, whaleboat, or canoe.
Academic text (1991) -
We remain here until eight bells tonight... at which time we'll lower whaleboats... kedge the ship north... and row out of these waters.
-
Captain Ahab, have you seen a whaleboat adrift?
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Now, if the Captain will excuse me, there are whaleboats and watches to assign.
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Second in command was Starbuck... whose Quaker stock had furnished many a whaleboat with its champion.
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"They rolled the barrels down to Tobacco Bay," says Lowry, "where they were met by a fleet of whaleboats and then taken to American ships." George Washington's Continental Army, which had been running low on ammunition, promptly turned the supplies against the British.
Academic text (2009) -
Many were coming back with their oranges of light pointing in the direction of their bridges placed all along the deck or hanging from the upside-down whaleboats beside the gunwales to give better light to the quarterdecks crowded with people.
Fiction book (1995) -
The crew prepared their whaleboats before setting out to hunt whales in the open sea.
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With swift motions, the men launched their whaleboats into the choppy waters to pursue the pod of whales.
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Each whaleboat needed careful handling to navigate through the rough waves during the whale hunt.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A small vehicle used on water to carry people, like a rowboat or motorboat
370
3.3
A large boat or ship used for travel on water
1
3.1
A small ship that travels safely on the open sea
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word whaleboat comes from the simple parts whale and boat, and it originally meant a 'boat used to hunt whales'. These were long, narrow, strong boats built to turn quickly and handle rough seas, which is why the name still means that kind of small, fast boat today.