buoy

[ boo-ee, boi ]
See synonyms for: buoybuoyed on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. Nautical. a distinctively shaped and marked float, sometimes carrying a signal or signals, anchored to mark a channel, anchorage, navigational hazard, etc., or to provide a mooring place away from the shore.

verb (used with object)
  1. to keep afloat or support by or as if by a life buoy; keep from sinking (often followed by up): The life jacket buoyed her up until help arrived.

  2. Nautical. to mark with a buoy or buoys.

  1. to sustain or encourage (often followed by up): Her courage was buoyed by the doctor's assurances.

verb (used without object)
  1. to float or rise by reason of lightness.

Origin of buoy

1
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English boye “a float,” from unattested Middle French boie, boue(e), from Germanic; akin to beacon

Other words for buoy

Words that may be confused with buoy

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use buoy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for buoy

buoy

/ (bɔɪ, US ˈbuːɪ) /


noun
  1. a distinctively shaped and coloured float, anchored to the bottom, for designating moorings, navigable channels, or obstructions in a body of water: See also life buoy

verb
  1. (tr usually foll by up) to prevent from sinking: the belt buoyed him up

  2. (tr usually foll by up) to raise the spirits of; hearten

  1. (tr) nautical to mark (a channel or obstruction) with a buoy or buoys

  2. (intr) to rise to the surface

Origin of buoy

1
C13: probably of Germanic origin; compare Middle Dutch boeie, boeye; see beacon

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012