: a light narrow boat with both ends sharp that is usually propelled by paddling
canoed; canoeing
: to transport in a canoe
also
: to travel by canoe down (a river)
: to go or travel in a canoe
Examples of canoe in a Sentence
Verb
He canoed down the river to the camp.
They canoed part of the Colorado River this summer.
Recent Examples on the Web
Trudy Haywood Saunders, Travel + Leisure, 2 Apr. 2024
Some of the smallest canoes were likely used for fishing trips.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
And if laying out with a good book isn’t your speed, canoes and kayaks are available to rent.
—Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 21 Mar. 2024
The discovery of nine log boats — dugout canoes as long as 28 feet — buried in the muck hinted at the vast wetlands that once blanketed the region.
—Franz Lidz, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024
Weaving through the mangroves, the Greenway features paved pathways, canoe and kayak launches, scenic overlooks for wildlife viewing, and a hidden entrance near the Naples Zoo and Conservancy of Southwest Florida.
—Kara Franker, Southern Living, 18 Mar. 2024
The park has a 230-acre lake and offers seasonal rentals of canoes and kayaks.
—The Enquirer, 17 Mar. 2024
Blue Soul Maui offers two-hour outrigger canoe tours from Hotel Wailea, allowing guests to snorkel, whale-watch, spot turtles, and learn more about Hawaiian culture while paddling from Wailea Beach along Maui's southern coast.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 17 Feb. 2024
Reuters — The Paris Olympics will be free of the strict Covid-19 restrictions that overshadowed the Tokyo and Beijing Games but New Zealand canoe slalom trailblazer Luuka Jones might be forgiven for taking extra precautions with her health.
—Reuters, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024
Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2024
Vogel grew up canoeing on a picturesque stretch of the Sheboygan River in Kiel, Wisconsin.
—Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
My childhood was spent in the Blue Ridge Mountains — camping in the Peaks of Otter and canoeing down the James River — and my college years brought me to Williamsburg, where history and higher education go hand in hand with waterfront views.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 24 Feb. 2024
Visitors can take a kayak or canoe out to see the eclipse from the lake.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Feb. 2024
Garwood, who has canoed the length of the Mississippi River solo, an odyssey that lasted 84 days, has a deep reverence for his home ground, and the winter that is part of a Minnesotan’s identity.
—Patricia Leigh Brown, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024
One of the most gripping parts of this story is how one woman in pain was kept as comfortable as possible while two of her companions canoed out to get help.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 21 Jan. 2024
But perhaps his most audacious creation is a three-acre lake, big enough to canoe in, which was built by fixing a retaining wall against sloped land fed by two brooks.
—Curbed, 29 Dec. 2023
More significantly, their voyage set the stage for future exploration, most notably for the 1682 expedition of René-Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle, who canoed the lower Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, claiming the land that became known as Louisiana for the French.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Dec. 2023
Noun
Located on iconic Fontana Lake, the full-service marina offers watercraft rentals and equipment, including pontoon boats, canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards.
—Trudy Haywood Saunders, Travel + Leisure, 2 Apr. 2024
Some of the smallest canoes were likely used for fishing trips.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
And if laying out with a good book isn’t your speed, canoes and kayaks are available to rent.
—Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 21 Mar. 2024
The discovery of nine log boats — dugout canoes as long as 28 feet — buried in the muck hinted at the vast wetlands that once blanketed the region.
—Franz Lidz, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024
Weaving through the mangroves, the Greenway features paved pathways, canoe and kayak launches, scenic overlooks for wildlife viewing, and a hidden entrance near the Naples Zoo and Conservancy of Southwest Florida.
—Kara Franker, Southern Living, 18 Mar. 2024
The park has a 230-acre lake and offers seasonal rentals of canoes and kayaks.
—The Enquirer, 17 Mar. 2024
Blue Soul Maui offers two-hour outrigger canoe tours from Hotel Wailea, allowing guests to snorkel, whale-watch, spot turtles, and learn more about Hawaiian culture while paddling from Wailea Beach along Maui's southern coast.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 17 Feb. 2024
Reuters — The Paris Olympics will be free of the strict Covid-19 restrictions that overshadowed the Tokyo and Beijing Games but New Zealand canoe slalom trailblazer Luuka Jones might be forgiven for taking extra precautions with her health.
—Reuters, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024
Verb
What To Do in Lynchburg Play Outside Head to Percival’s Island Natural Area to stroll the RiverWalk, a former railroad bed that’s been transformed into a 3.5-mile paved hiking-and-biking trail that offers several access points to the James River for canoeing and fishing.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2024
Vogel grew up canoeing on a picturesque stretch of the Sheboygan River in Kiel, Wisconsin.
—Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
My childhood was spent in the Blue Ridge Mountains — camping in the Peaks of Otter and canoeing down the James River — and my college years brought me to Williamsburg, where history and higher education go hand in hand with waterfront views.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 24 Feb. 2024
Visitors can take a kayak or canoe out to see the eclipse from the lake.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Feb. 2024
Garwood, who has canoed the length of the Mississippi River solo, an odyssey that lasted 84 days, has a deep reverence for his home ground, and the winter that is part of a Minnesotan’s identity.
—Patricia Leigh Brown, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024
One of the most gripping parts of this story is how one woman in pain was kept as comfortable as possible while two of her companions canoed out to get help.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 21 Jan. 2024
But perhaps his most audacious creation is a three-acre lake, big enough to canoe in, which was built by fixing a retaining wall against sloped land fed by two brooks.
—Curbed, 29 Dec. 2023
More significantly, their voyage set the stage for future exploration, most notably for the 1682 expedition of René-Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle, who canoed the lower Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, claiming the land that became known as Louisiana for the French.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'canoe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
French, from New Latin canoa, from Spanish, from Arawakan, of Cariban origin; akin to Carib kana:wa canoe
First Known Use
Noun
1555, in the meaning defined above
Verb
1794, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Dictionary Entries Near canoe
Cite this Entry
“Canoe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canoe. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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More from Merriam-Webster on canoe
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for canoe
Nglish: Translation of canoe for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about canoe
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