Meaning & use
narrowboat
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableBritish
A long, narrow boat designed to travel on Britain's canals, often used as a home or for holidays.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a narrowboat' or 'narrowboats'.
Patterns
- travel by narrowboat
- live on a narrowboat
- a narrowboat on the canal
They spent their summer holiday on a narrowboat, slowly cruising through the countryside.
Many people choose to live on a narrowboat to save money on housing.
The canal was too shallow for most boats, but a narrowboat could pass easily.
Word forms
| plural | narrowboats |
|---|
Common combinations
- canal narrowboat
- The old canal narrowboat had been lovingly restored.
- hire a narrowboat
- We hired a narrowboat for a week to explore the waterways.
- narrowboat holiday
- A narrowboat holiday is a relaxing way to see the English countryside.
- steer a narrowboat
- It takes practice to steer a narrowboat through the locks.
Synonyms and how they differ
- canal boat
- A more general term for any boat used on canals, not necessarily the traditional narrow design.
- barge
- A larger, heavier boat for carrying goods, often on rivers or canals, but not as narrow as a narrowboat.
Commonly confused: narrowboat or houseboat?
narrowboat vs houseboat
A houseboat is any boat used as a home, often moored in one place, while a narrowboat is specifically designed for narrow canals and can travel.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'narrowboat' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Narrowboats are built to be narrow enough for Britain's canal locks, so being too wide is a problem. Option 1 is wrong because narrowboats are not used for ocean crossings. Option 2 is wrong because narrowboats are not a form of transport like a ferry. Option 3 is wrong because a narrowboat is a boat, not an airplane.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “narrowboat”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.