Definition

1. Noun:

   • A drydock is a large, watertight structure or basin that can be flooded to allow a ship to float in, and then drained of water so that the ship rests on a dry platform. This allows for construction, maintenance, or repair of the parts of a ship normally below the waterline.

2. Verb:

   • To drydock a vessel means to move it into a drydock and secure it there so the dock can be drained. It refers to the action of placing a ship in a drydock facility.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The aircraft carrier entered the drydock for a complete hull inspection.
  • The shipyard has three drydocks capable of handling large commercial vessels.
• Verb:
  • The navy decided to drydock the frigate to repair its propeller.
  • After its long voyage, the cruise ship was drydocked for routine maintenance.

Advanced Usage

• "To go into drydock": This is a common phrase meaning for a ship to enter a drydock for work.
  • The old ferry will go into drydock next month for its five-year survey.
• "In drydock": Describes the state of a ship being inside a drydock.
  • The ship has been in drydock for two weeks while the engineers work on the hull.

Variants and Related Words

• Dry dock (noun): An alternative spelling of the noun, often written as two words.
• Graving dock (noun): Another term for a drydock, especially one that is a trench dug into the ground.
• Floating dock (noun): A type of drydock that is itself a floating structure which can be submerged to allow a ship to enter, then raised to lift the ship out of the water.

Synonyms

• Noun: Shipyard dock, graving dock, repair dock.
• Verb: Dock, put in dock, berth for repairs.

Related Phrases

• Drydock period: The scheduled time a ship spends in a drydock.
  • The drydock period is expected to last six weeks.
• Drydocking: The noun form of the verb, referring to the process or event of placing a ship in a drydock.
  • The ship's next drydocking is planned for 2026.

Noun

1. a large dock from which water can be pumped out; used for building ships or for repairing a ship below its waterline

Verb

1. maneuver (a ship) into a drydock