Definition

1. Noun:

   • A floating marker: A buoy is a brightly colored, anchored float that serves as a navigation aid, marking channels, hazards, or specific locations in a body of water.
   • A life-saving float: A buoy can also refer to a lifebuoy or life ring, a floating device designed to be thrown to a person in the water to prevent drowning.

2. Verb:

   • To mark with a buoy: To place buoys in an area to indicate a path or a hazard.
   • To keep afloat or cause to float: To support something or someone in a liquid, preventing it from sinking.
   • To sustain or uplift (often emotionally): To maintain or raise someone's spirits, hopes, or confidence.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The red buoy marks the left side of the channel for ships entering the harbor.
  • He threw the buoy to the struggling swimmer.

• Verb:

  • The coast guard will buoy the new wreck site to warn other boats.
  • The life jacket buoyed him in the water until help arrived.
  • Her encouraging words buoyed my spirits during a difficult time.

Advanced Usage

• "to buoy up": This phrasal verb is commonly used for both the literal and figurative meanings of support.
  • Literal: The special suit is designed to buoy up the wearer in cold water.
  • Figurative: The team was buoyed up by the crowd's enthusiastic support.

Variants and Related Words

• Buoyant (adjective): Able to float; cheerful and optimistic.

  • Cork is a buoyant material.
  • She has a buoyant personality.

• Buoyancy (noun): The ability to float; resilience or cheerfulness.

  • The boat's buoyancy kept it from sinking.
  • He faced the challenge with remarkable buoyancy.

Synonyms

• Noun (marker): Beacon, float, marker.
• Verb (keep afloat): Float, support, uphold.
• Verb (uplift): Encourage, hearten, lift, sustain.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Buoy up: To keep something afloat or to make someone feel more cheerful and confident.
  • The discovery of new evidence buoyed up the researcher's theory.
  • We need some good news to buoy us up.

Related Idioms

• A life buoy: Something that provides help in a difficult situation.
  • The loan was a life buoy for the struggling business.
• To throw someone a buoy: To offer help to someone in trouble.
  • When I was overwhelmed, my mentor threw me a buoy with her advice.

Noun

1. bright-colored; a float attached by rope to the seabed to mark channels in a harbor or underwater hazards

Verb

1. mark with a buoy
2. keep afloat
   • The life vest buoyed him up
3. float on the surface of water