Meaning & use
moor a boat
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
To fasten a boat to a fixed object on shore or in the water so it stays in place.
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase; the object is the boat: moor a boat. You can also say moor the boat to something.
Patterns
- moor a boat to something
- moor a boat at something
- moor a boat in something
We moored the boat to a wooden post near the restaurant.
The sailors moored the boat at the harbor before the storm arrived.
You can moor a boat to a buoy if the dock is full.
Common combinations
- moor a boat to a dock
- They moored the boat to a dock and went ashore for lunch.
- moor a boat at a marina
- It costs less to moor a boat at a marina during the winter.
- moor a boat alongside
- The captain moored the boat alongside the larger ship.
- moor a boat securely
- Make sure you moor the boat securely before the tide goes out.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tie up
- More informal and general; you can tie up a boat, a horse, or a package, but moor is used mainly for boats.
- dock
- Focuses on bringing a boat into a dock; mooring can be to any fixed point, not only a dock.
- berth
- Used when a boat occupies a specific assigned space in a harbor; mooring is broader.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: moor a boat or anchor?
moor a boat vs anchor
Anchor means to hold a boat in place by dropping a heavy object to the bottom; moor means to tie the boat to something fixed.
Practice
The crew decided to ___ the boat to the buoy until the weather improved.
Choose one answer.
Moor fits because you tie a boat to a fixed object like a buoy. Anchor is wrong because anchoring uses a heavy object dropped to the seabed, not a buoy. Dock is wrong because docking means entering a dock, not tying to a buoy. Sail is wrong because it means to travel by boat, not to secure it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “moor a boat”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.