yawl

noun

1
: a ship's small boat : jolly boat
2
: a fore-and-aft rigged sailboat carrying a mainsail and one or more jibs with a mizzenmast far aft

Illustration of yawl

Illustration of yawl
  • yawl 2

Examples of yawl in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The crew had no time to gather their possessions or weather gear before boarding their small yawl boat, and the ship sank so quickly that a Newfoundland that served as her mascot was unable to escape. Christopher Clough, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2023 Tamara Thomsen/Zach Whitrock / AP Captain John Higgins and his crew of eight survived and reached Algoma, about 120 miles north of Milwaukee, after rowing for eight hours in the ship's yawl boat. CBS News, 2 Sep. 2023 The crew, all feeling the effects of the cold and the wet, rowed eight hours in the yawl through the waves of Lake Michigan before landing in Algoma at about 2 p.m. Christopher Clough, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2023 The emergency prompted Captain John Higgins and his crew of eight to jump ship, arriving to Algoma after rowing for eight hours in the ship’s small yawl boat. Adela Suliman, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2023 The emergency prompted Captain John Higgins and his crew of eight to jump ship, arriving to Algoma after rowing for eight hours in the ship's small yawl boat. Adela Suliman, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Sep. 2023 The boat does not have an engine and sails using wind power, with maneuvering assistance from a 19-foot yawl boat that pushes against the stern, the website said. BostonGlobe.com, 1 Sep. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'yawl.' 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

Low German jolle

First Known Use

1670, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of yawl was in 1670

Dictionary Entries Near yawl

Cite this Entry

“Yawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yawl. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

yawl

noun
: a sailboat having two masts with the shorter one behind the rudder

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