yachts

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   Boats designed for pleasure sailing or racing, either moved by sails or by an engine, and often large and expensive.

   Grammar: Plural of yacht: one yacht, two yachts.

   Patterns

   • yachts in the harbor
   • yachts for charter

   Dozens of yachts were anchored off the coast for the summer festival.

   The marina is full of luxury yachts that belong to wealthy owners.

   We watched the racing yachts tilt in the strong wind.

2. 2verbintransitiveinformal

   Third person singular of the verb to yacht, meaning to sail or travel on a yacht for pleasure.

   Grammar: Takes no object: she yachts every summer.

   Patterns

   • someone yachts around somewhere

   My uncle yachts around the Mediterranean every August.

   She yachts with friends whenever the weather is calm.

Word forms

Common combinations

luxury yachts

Luxury yachts lined the harbor in Monaco.

racing yachts

Racing yachts need a skilled and coordinated crew.

charter yachts

They charter yachts by the week in Greece.

sailing yachts

Sailing yachts depend on wind rather than engines.

yachts moored

Dozens of yachts moored in the bay overnight.

Synonyms and how they differ

sailboats

Sailboats can be any size and are not necessarily luxurious, while yachts suggest larger, more costly leisure vessels.

cruisers

Cruisers usually run on engines and are built for comfort, whereas yachts can also be sailing racers.

vessels

Vessels is a general word for any ship or boat, while yachts name one particular leisure type.

Word family

yacht noun

one pleasure boat

yachting noun

the sport or hobby of sailing yachts

yachtsman noun

a man who sails yachts

yachtswoman noun

a woman who sails yachts

Commonly confused: yachts or yaks?

Practice

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