outboard motor
4
3.9
- noun
- /ˈaʊtˌbɔrd ˈmoʊtər/
- Specialized
:
motor fuera de borda
- Before setting off, she checked the fuel level in the outboard motor to ensure they wouldn't run out.
- boats with outboard motor
It was never a big problem until until the outboard motors came along and competition became more fierce.
- It was never a big problem until until the outboard motors came along and competition became more fierce.
Examples
-
The fisherman replaced the old outboard motor with a more powerful one for better performance.
-
Then he checked the outboard motor.
Fiction book (2001) -
This outboard motor just won't start.
-
Their outboard motor roars to life.
Fiction book (1997) -
At that instant, the sound of the outboard motor crackles through the air.
Fiction book (1992) -
There's the cough and sputter of an outboard motor from outside.
Fiction book (1992) -
As our inflatable landing craft pulled away from Anchorage Bay, the noise from its outboard motor drowned out the chatter of seabirds left behind.
Academic text (1995) -
In May 1999, Gotchnik, Terry Anderson, and Thomas Anderson were cited for using boats with outboard motors while fishing in the no-motor section of the same lake.
Academic text (2001) -
Finding three battered aluminum prams lined up side by side on shore, they shoved two boats adrift, then piled into the third, got the outboard motor going, and made a dash for safety.
Fiction book (1999) -
He could hear the distant hum of an outboard motor as the boat sped across the lake.
Synonyms
7
4.6
A motor that fits on the back of a small boat to make it move
How Powerful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun combines a literal descriptor 'outboard' (outside or mounted on the boat's stern) with 'motor' (an engine), so the overall meaning—an engine mounted externally on a small boat—is directly derivable from the parts. This is a literal, technical compound with close equivalents in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will understand it.
Etymology
The compound outboard motor creates a clear picture: the motor sits out on the board, the 'back' of the boat rather than inside. Because the engine is fixed on the outside and can be taken off, the name means a removable engine used to move and steer small boats.