Meaning & use
boatyard
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A place where boats are built, repaired, or kept, often with a slipway and workshops.
Grammar: Countable; you can say 'a boatyard' or 'the boatyard'. It is a physical location.
Patterns
- at the boatyard
- work in a boatyard
- take a boat to the boatyard
The old fishing boat is being repaired at the boatyard.
He got a job at a local boatyard, building wooden dinghies.
We stored our kayaks in the boatyard over the winter.
Word forms
| plural | boatyards |
|---|
Common combinations
- local boatyard
- The local boatyard specializes in restoring classic yachts.
- work at a boatyard
- She works at a boatyard on the south coast.
- take a boat to the boatyard
- We took the boat to the boatyard for its annual check.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dockyard
- A dockyard is usually larger and may build or repair ships; a boatyard is smaller and often for pleasure boats.
- marina
- A marina provides moorings and services for pleasure boats, but not necessarily building or heavy repair.
- shipyard
- A shipyard builds and repairs large ships, while a boatyard handles smaller vessels.
Commonly confused: boatyard or marina?
boatyard vs marina
A marina is where boats are kept, often with pontoons and facilities; a boatyard is where boats are built or repaired.
Practice
The damaged sailboat was taken to the ___ to have its hull repaired.
Choose one answer.
A boatyard is specifically for building and repairing boats. A marina is mainly for mooring, and a harbor or dock is a general area for anchoring.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “boatyard”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.