Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

boatload

/ˈboʊtˌloʊd/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.49 in modern English

Syllables: boat-load
IPA: /ˈboʊtˌloʊd/

11

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Cargo or passengers that fill a boat.

noun

A large quantity.

Slang

Example Sentences

"a boatload of ferry passengers"
"Just then two boats[-]load of natives appeared, and our owner having agreed with them to tow us into harbour, they tried to do so, assisted by our own boat, but could make no way. […] Those who live on the coast have plenty of fish; but when inland, as we are here, they only go to the sea occasionally, and then bring home cockles and other shell-fish by the boatload."
"He showed up an hour later with a whole boatload of hamburgers, chips, cookies, and assorted other munchies, not to mention sodas and beer, and we all fell in and stuffed ourselves silly."
"What's a fair price to pay for video perfection, or even something that looks a lot like it? In the case of high-definition movie discs, the answer may not just be "a boatload of money," but having to keep two incompatible players under the TV set."

Etymology

From boat + load. The figurative sense is extended from the literal sense.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈboʊtˌloʊd/
British English: /ˈbəʊtˌləʊd/

Usage

Slang

Inflected Forms

boatloads (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

bargeload bargeful shipload shipful truckload truckful containerload containerful

Synonyms

boatful buttload shedload abundance battalion arseload assload bellyload boatload brimful busload bucketful

Questions

How do you pronounce boatload?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈboʊtˌloʊd/.
What does boatload mean?: Cargo or passengers that fill a boat.
Where does boatload come from?: From boat + load. The figurative sense is extended from the literal sense.

How to pronounce boatload

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “boatload”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈboʊtˌloʊd/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “boatload”.
Repeat and practice — Say “boatload” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.