Meaning & use
starboard side
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Meaning
nounsingulartechnical
The right-hand side of a ship, boat, or aircraft when you are facing forward.
Grammar: Usually used with 'the' or a possessive: the starboard side, its starboard side. It is not countable in this sense.
Patterns
- on the starboard side
- to the starboard side
- the starboard side of something
The captain ordered everyone to move to the starboard side of the ship.
From the starboard side of the plane, we could see the coastline clearly.
A small leak was found on the starboard side of the boat.
Common combinations
- on the starboard side
- The lifeboat is stored on the starboard side.
- the starboard side of the ship
- The starboard side of the ship was damaged in the storm.
- to the starboard side
- The crew moved to the starboard side to balance the weight.
- starboard side door
- The starboard side door is used for emergency exits.
Synonyms and how they differ
- right side
- More general and common in everyday English; 'starboard side' is the technical term used on ships and aircraft.
Opposites
Word family
- starboard noun
- The right-hand side of a ship or aircraft; often used alone without 'side'.
Commonly confused: starboard side or port side?
starboard side vs port side
Port side is the left side when facing forward; starboard is the right. A helpful memory trick: 'port' and 'left' both have four letters.
Practice
When you are facing the front of a ship, the starboard side is on your ___.
Choose one answer.
Starboard means the right-hand side when facing forward, so 'right' is correct. 'Left' is the port side, which is the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “starboard side”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.