Definition

Noun: 1. A small, open boat: A dinghy is a small, shallow-draft boat, typically propelled by oars, sails, or a small outboard motor. It is often used as a tender for a larger vessel, for recreation, or for short trips near the shore. 2. An inflatable boat: In aviation and maritime contexts, a dinghy can also refer to a small, inflatable life raft carried on ships or aircraft for emergency use.

Usage

A "dinghy" is a specific type of small boat. It is used to describe a vessel that is not meant for long ocean voyages but for short-distance travel, often between a larger anchored boat and the shore. It is a countable noun.

Examples

• General Use:
  • We rowed the dinghy from the yacht to the island.
  • They keep a small sailing dinghy at the lake for weekend trips.
• As a Tender:
  • The captain lowered the dinghy to go ashore for supplies.
• Emergency Use:
  • The aircraft was equipped with an emergency dinghy in case of a water landing.

Advanced Usage

• "To dinghy" (verb, informal): To travel or move about in a dinghy.
  • We spent the afternoon dinghying around the cove.

Variants and Related Words

• Dinghies (n): The standard plural form of "dinghy."
• Dinghy sailing (n): The sport or activity of sailing in a dinghy.
• Inflatable dinghy (n): A dinghy made of flexible tubes containing pressurized gas, making it buoyant.

Synonyms

• Rowboat: A small boat designed to be rowed.
• Skiff: A small, light rowing or sailing boat.
• Tender: A boat used to service or transport people and supplies to and from a larger vessel.
• Pram: A type of small dinghy with a transom bow.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "In the same dinghy": A variation of the idiom "in the same boat," meaning in the same difficult situation.
  • We're all in the same dinghy when it comes to these new regulations.

Noun

1. a small boat of shallow draft with cross thwarts for seats and rowlocks for oars with which it is propelled