boatload

IPA/ˈbəʊtləʊd/
KK[bˈotlˌod]IPA/ˈbəʊtləʊd/

boatload — noun

  • boatloadsingular
  • boatloadsplural

1. a very large quantity of something, often more than you expected or can deal wit

1.nounB1
Definition

a very large quantity of something, often more than you expected or can deal with easily.

Example

Eleni brought a boatload of tomatoes from her uncle's farm.

a boatload of + countable noun

We got a boatload of emails after the festival poster went online.

figurative: a boatload of [abstract things]

Common collocations
  • a boatload of complaints
  • a boatload of money
  • boatloads of messages
Synonyms
  • load

    less vivid and more general; it can describe a large amount without the playful image

  • ton

    very common in casual speech, but it does not suggest a container or vehicle

  • truckload

    similarly vivid and informal, but it suggests quantity by road transport rather than by boat

Grammar Patterns

a boatload of + noun

boatloads of + plural noun

Usage Note

This sense is usually used in the pattern "a boatload of + noun". It is often an exaggeration in everyday speech, not a statement about anything actually moved by boat.

Common Mistakes

She got boatload of replies after lunch.
She got a boatload of replies after lunch.
boatload is a countable noun and usually needs an article or number.

2. the people or goods that fill one boat, or the amount a boat can carry in a sing

2.nounB2
Definition

the people or goods that fill one boat, or the amount a boat can carry in a single trip.

Example

The guide said one boatload of visitors could cross the river at a time.

one boatload of + passengers

Workers moved the rice in three boatloads before the storm reached the island.

plural countable use with numbers

Common collocations
  • one boatload of passengers
  • three boatloads of rice
  • a final boatload of families
Synonyms
  • boatful

    very close in meaning, but less common in everyday use

  • load

    more general and does not show that transport by boat is important

  • shipment

    used for goods being sent, not for a full group of passengers on one boat

Grammar Patterns

one boatload of + people

two boatloads of + cargo

Usage Note

This sense refers to an actual trip or load by water. It commonly appears with words such as "one," "two," "another," or "final" when speakers count separate trips or loads.

Common Mistakes

The ferry took a boatload passengers across the bay.
The ferry took a boatload of passengers across the bay.
boatload normally takes 'of' before the people or goods being carried.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Boatload is a vivid informal word for a very large amount, often with a hint that the quantity feels impressive or hard to handle. Truckload is similar, but it brings a road-transport image instead of a water one. Load is broader and more neutral, so it works in more situations but sounds less colorful. Ton is probably the most common casual choice in everyday speech, especially for abstract things such as homework or messages. If you want lively, exaggerated wording, boatload works well. If you want plain, flexible wording, load is safer. Compare: "We got a boatload of replies overnight" sounds playful, while "We got a load of replies overnight" sounds flatter.

boatload ↗truckload ↗load ↗ton ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Boatload is a compound formed from boat and load. Boat comes from Old English "bat," meaning a small vessel used on water, and load comes from Old English "lad," meaning what is carried. The word first referred literally to what a boat could carry, and later developed an informal figurative use for any very large amount.

First known use

1625

1625, in the meaning defined at sense 1