dinghy

noun

din·​ghy ˈdiŋ-ē 

-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

Synonyms

• bark
• sailboat
• windjammer

Examples of dinghy in a Sentence

we went sailing on the secluded lake in a little two-person dinghy

Recent Examples on the Web

As the dinghy docks at Muara Angke, a slum perched on the northern shore of Indonesia’s sprawling capital, Prabowo, 72, clambers onto land and plunges into a cheering crowd, shaking hands and kissing babies. —Charlie Campbell / Jakarta, TIME, 14 Oct. 2024

After a hearty lunch, a dinghy ferried me back to the Dream Baliceaux. —Tracey Teo, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2024

But the commission soon responded, banning dinghies and imposing a big fine for violators. —Greg Allen, NPR, 3 Sep. 2024

Yet the design also includes a dinghy bay, a heliport, a car garage, and even an underwater escape pod for Bond-like exits. —Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 24 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Bengali ḍiṅgi, Urdu ḍīngī & Hindi ḍieṁgī

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

dinghy

noun

din·​ghy ˈdiŋ-ē 

-gē

plural dinghies

1

: a small rowboat or sailboat

especially : one carried on a larger boat

2

: a rubber life raft