oar

1 of 2

noun

ˈȯr How to pronounce oar (audio)
Synonyms of oarnext
1
: a long pole with a broad blade at one end used for propelling or steering a boat
2
: oarsman
oared
ˈȯrd How to pronounce oar (audio)
adjective

oar

2 of 2

verb

oared; oaring; oars

intransitive verb

: to progress by or as if by using oars

transitive verb

: to propel with or as if with oars : row

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of oar in a Sentence

Noun “All oars ho!” the boatswain ordered Verb since the wind had completely died, they had to oar the sailboat back to shore
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Noun
Often seen in their typical garb of a striped top and straw hat navigating a single oar, gondoliers were once a community of thousands in Venice. —Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 16 Aug. 2024 Ready oar not Their first team gathering occurred in April 2023 in Redwood City, California for their first training row. —Sandra Gonzalez, CNN, 2 Aug. 2024
Verb
Mute swans do put on bursts of speed by oaring with their huge webbed feet. —National Geographic, 19 Oct. 2016 See all Example Sentences for oar 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English oore, ore, going back to Old English ār, going back to dialectal Germanic *airō (whence Old Norse ár "oar"), of uncertain origin

Note: The presumed etymon *airō is attested only in Scandinavian Germanic and Old English; it is apparently a loanword from Scandinavian into Finnic languages (North Saami áiru "oar," Finnish airo, Estonian aer). The Germanic word has been compared with Greek oíāx "handle of a rudder, tiller" oiḗïon "tiller, rudder," Homeric oíēkes "appurtenance on a yoke," Sanskrit īṣā́ "shaft, thill," Hittite hišša-, Czech oj, Slovene ojệ, ojệsa, all going back to Indo-European *h2(o)iH-s- "pole, shaft" (with the meaning "rudder" apparently secondary in Greek). However, if *airō goes back to *aizō the expected Old Norse outcome would be *eir rather than ār; additionally, the sense shift from "shaft of a cart" to "oar" is not unobjectionable.

Verb

Middle English oren, derivative of ore oar entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of oar was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing oar

Dictionary Entries Near oar

OAP

oar

oarage

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Oar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oar. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

oar

1 of 2 noun
ˈō(ə)r How to pronounce oar (audio)
ˈȯ(ə)r
1
: a long pole with a broad blade at one end used for rowing or steering a boat
2
: oarsman
oared
ˈō(ə)rd How to pronounce oar (audio)
ˈȯ(ə)rd
adjective

oar

2 of 2 verb
: row entry 1 sense 1

More from Merriam-Webster on oar

Nglish: Translation of oar for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of oar for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about oar

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