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Meaning & use

slipway

noun·Advanced

Last updated

UK/ˈslɪpweɪ/
US/ˈslɪpweɪ/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A sloping ramp leading into the water, used to launch boats or pull them out.

    Grammar: A normal countable noun: a slipway, two slipways.

    Patterns

    • launch something down a slipway
    • a slipway into something

    We pushed the dinghy down the slipway and into the harbor.

    The village has a public slipway beside the fish market.

    He backed the trailer carefully down the slipway.

  2. nouncountabletechnical

    A sloping platform in a shipyard on which a vessel is built and from which it slides into the water.

    Grammar: In this sense it is a shipbuilding term: the ship was built on the slipway.

    Patterns

    • build something on a slipway
    • leave the slipway

    The new ferry slid down the slipway to cheers from the crowd.

    Workers spent two years building the hull on the slipway.

    The old slipway is now a tourist attraction.

Word forms

pluralslipways

Common combinations

launch from a slipway
The lifeboat launches from a slipway beside the cliff.
public slipway
Anyone can use the public slipway for a small fee.
concrete slipway
A concrete slipway runs down to the beach.
down the slipway
The yacht slid down the slipway at high tide.
shipyard slipway
The shipyard slipway was busy with cranes and workers.

Synonyms and how they differ

ramp
Ramp is a general word for any slope, while slipway always involves a boat and the water.
boat ramp
Boat ramp is the usual American term and mainly describes the leisure launching use.
slip
Slip is a shorter form, mostly used in shipbuilding or harbor names.
landing
A landing is a place where boats stop and people get off, rather than a slope used to move boats in and out.

Word family

slip noun
a ramp or berth for boats
slip verb
to slide smoothly or lose your footing
slippery adjective
smooth and difficult to hold or walk on

Commonly confused: slipway or jetty?

slipway vs jetty

A jetty is a structure that sticks out into water for boats to tie up, while a slipway is a slope for moving boats in and out.

Practice

The sailors rolled the small boat down the ___ and into the sea.

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