Definition

Noun: 1. A very large amount or number of something; an abundance. This is the most common figurative use, indicating a quantity so large it might metaphorically fill a boat. 2. The full amount of cargo or passengers that a boat or ship can carry. This is the original, literal meaning, referring to the capacity or the actual load of a vessel.

Usage and Examples

• Noun (Figurative - Large Amount):
  • The company made a boatload of money from the new product launch.
  • After the announcement, she received a boatload of emails.
  • He has a boatload of work to finish before the deadline.
• Noun (Literal - Ship's Cargo):
  • The ferry was carrying its full boatload of passengers.
  • They unloaded a boatload of grain at the port.

Advanced Usage

• "By the boatload": This adverbial phrase is frequently used to emphasize that something is arriving or being obtained in very large, continuous quantities.
  • Fans were buying merchandise by the boatload.
  • The website gets visitors by the boatload.

Variants and Related Words

• Shipload (Noun): A synonym for the literal meaning (a ship's cargo capacity or load). It can also be used figuratively like "boatload," though "boatload" is more common in informal, figurative contexts.
• Carload (Noun): The amount a car (especially a freight car) can hold. Used similarly to "boatload" but for land transport.
• Truckload (Noun): The amount a truck can hold. Used similarly for road transport.

Synonyms

• Figurative: A lot, a great deal, a ton, a mountain, an avalanche, a flood, a slew, a massive amount.
• Literal: Cargo, load, shipment, freight.

Antonyms

• Figurative: A little, a bit, a small amount, a trickle.
• Literal: An empty load, a partial load.

Related Phrases

• "To make a boatload": To earn a very large amount of money.
  • Their new app is making them a boatload.
• "A boatload of [something]": The standard construction for indicating a large quantity of a specific thing.
  • A boatload of trouble, a boatload of fun, a boatload of questions.

Noun

1. the amount of cargo that can be held by a boat or ship or a freight car
   • he imported wine by the boatload