Phrases
to the gunwales
: as fully as possible
The doorbell rang, and Flanagan let in his wife, who was loaded to the gunwales with groceries.—
Whitney Balliett
Whitney BalliettExamples of gunwale in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Marigolds line the gunwale of the boat with a pink and blue Sugar Skull painted on the stern.
—Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register, 15 Aug. 2024
The boatman circled cautiously, then winced when Wilson, the jujitsu champion, suddenly launched an aerial drone and banged on the boat’s gunwale to get the animals’ attention.
—Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2024
But when Navarro calls to check in just hours later, Julia answers the phone in the same place her sister found her last week — sitting on the gunwale of a barge stuck in the ice.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2024
Boating spectators gripped one another’s gunwales to hold position against the southerly breeze.
—Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for gunwale 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register, 15 Aug. 2024
The boatman circled cautiously, then winced when Wilson, the jujitsu champion, suddenly launched an aerial drone and banged on the boat’s gunwale to get the animals’ attention.
—Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2024
But when Navarro calls to check in just hours later, Julia answers the phone in the same place her sister found her last week — sitting on the gunwale of a barge stuck in the ice.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2024
Boating spectators gripped one another’s gunwales to hold position against the southerly breeze.
—Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for gunwale
Dictionary Entries Near gunwale
Cite this Entry
“Gunwale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gunwale. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share