boatman

Everyday

1. A man whose job is to row, sail or look after boats, or to carry people across water in a boat. tree →
2. A person who hires out boats. tree →

In the lessons

In stories and myths a boatman often ferries travellers across a river (in Greek myths, Charon the boatman carries the dead across the River Styx). In history and geography lessons, boatmen worked on rivers and canals carrying goods and people.

Examples

• The boatman rowed us across the lake. tree →
• We paid the boatman two coins for the ride. tree →
• In Venice, a boatman steers a gondola. tree →
• The old boatman knew every bend in the river. tree →
• In the Greek myth, the boatman Charon carried souls across the river. tree →
• The boatman hired out rowing boats for the afternoon. tree →
• A boatman shouted a warning about the rocks. tree →
• So she ordered the old boatman to steer for Squirrel Island. tree →

Note

Irregular plural: boatmen (not boatmans). A woman may be called a boatwoman, or people say «boat operator» or «ferry worker». Similar words: ferryman, gondolier, oarsman.