dinghy

noun

din·​ghy ˈdiŋ-ē How to pronounce dinghy (audio)
-gē
plural dinghies
1
a
: a small boat carried on or towed behind a larger boat as a tender or a lifeboat
b
: a small sailboat
2
: a rubber life raft
3
: a rowboat or sailboat used to carry passengers or cargo on the coasts of India especially in sheltered waters around the peninsula

Examples of dinghy in a Sentence

we went sailing on the secluded lake in a little two-person dinghy
Recent Examples on the Web The caller said the girl and her grandmother had boarded a dinghy and headed out into the harbor. Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 7 Mar. 2024 Rescue volunteers on paddle boats and small dinghies cruised through neighborhoods that had turned into rivers to rescue families and pets. Júlia Ledur, Washington Post, 8 June 2023 The three passengers were discovered in the dinghy floating near the sunken ship and pulled aboard a rescue boat, according to officials. Makiya Seminera, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2024 The three on board put on life jackets and hopped in a dinghy, drifting on the water in 20-mph winds, according to officials. Makiya Seminera, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2024 Powell and Sweeney have been spotted on jet boats, riding double-decker buses, and taking plunges off dinghies into Sydney Harbour. Alexandra Koster, refinery29.com, 19 Dec. 2023 Many people trying to reach Britain across the waterway have fled their home countries in the Middle East or Africa, clustering in small makeshift camps on the coast of northern France before trying to cross in small dinghies or by hiding on trucks taking the Channel Tunnel. Megan Specia, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2024 Indian anthropologists, the film crew, and armed policemen attempt to make friendly contact from a dinghy that bobs some distance from the shore. Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024 Lost at sea for more than two weeks in a dinghy, the crewmen resorted to cannibalism to survive: Three of the crewmen were eventually rescued, and were subsequently charged with killing the fourth. Peter Marks, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dinghy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Bengali ḍiṅgi, Urdu ḍīngī & Hindi ḍieṁgī

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of dinghy was in 1810

Dictionary Entries Near dinghy

Cite this Entry

“Dinghy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dinghy. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dinghy

noun
din·​ghy ˈdiŋ-ē How to pronounce dinghy (audio)
-gē
plural dinghies
1
: a small rowboat or sailboat
especially : one carried on a larger boat
2
: a rubber life raft

More from Merriam-Webster on dinghy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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