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general::
noun BOAT + VERB chug, go, sail The boat chugged out to sea. | head, pass The boat headed upriver. | arrive, come in, dock | return | bob boats bobbing up and down in the estuary | float, glide | drift | heave, lunge, lurch, pitch, rock, roll The boat pitched violently from side to side. | list | leak | fill The boat slowly filled with icy water. | capsize, overturn | founder, sink | operate, ply Ferry boats ply regularly between all the resorts on the lake. | carry sth, ferry sth, hold sth, take sth BOAT + NOUN cruise, excursion, ride, trip | race | club | house (also boathouse) | train (= the train scheduled to connect with a particular sailing) the 7.30 p.m. boat train to Harwich | building | builder, crew, owner | people (= refugees who arrive by boat) PREP. by ~ The cave can only be reached by boat. | in a/the ~ I took them in my boat. | on a/the ~ They ate on the boat. | ~ from, ~ to a boat from Jamaica to Trinidad ADJ. little, small | open He was adrift in an open boat for three days. | flat-bottomed | glass-bottomed | inflatable, plastic, rubber | wooden | motor, paddle, pedal, power, rowing, sailing, speed, steam | canal, narrow, river We spent our holiday going up a canal on a narrow boat. a Mississippi river boat | banana, cargo, charter, ferry, fishing, flying, passenger, patrol, pilot, pleasure, racing, rescue, torpedo, touring | model, paper, toy | stricken The lifeboat was preparing to go to the aid of the stricken boat. | upturned QUANT. fleet, flotilla a flotilla of small boats VERB + BOAT take out You couldn't take a boat out in that wild sea. | take sb out in My brother took us all out in his new boat. | get into/on/onto | get off/out of | launch, lower A new type of patrol boat was launched from the Essex coast yesterday. | push out I pushed the boat out into the middle of the river. | propel, row, sail The boat is propelled by a powerful outboard motor. | handle Where did you learn to handle a boat? | guide, steer, turn | pilot, skipper | crew Normally the boat is crewed by five people. | beach He beached the boat and the children leapt out to explore. | moor, tie up | untie | anchor, berth The harbour was crowded, with boats berthed two and three abreast. | load, unload | rock Sit down, you're rocking the boat.(figurative) She was told to keep her mouth shut and not rock the boat (= take unnecessary action that would cause problems). | capsize, overturn, upset | swamp The boat was swamped by a huge wave. | build, design | catch, take They crossed the island to catch a boat for islands south of Skye. | miss (often figurative) If you don't buy now, you may find that you've missed the boat (= cannot take advantage of this offer because it is too late). | meet Beth had gone down to Bombay to meet the boat on which her sister was arriving.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary