embarkation

IPA/ˌembɑːˈkeɪʃn/
KK[ˌɛmbɑrkˈeʃən]IPA/ˌembɑːrˈkeɪʃn/

embarkation — noun

  • embarkationsingular
  • embarkationsplural

1. the stage when passengers or crew board a plane or ship before travel begins.

1.nounB2
Definition

the stage when passengers or crew board a plane or ship before travel begins.

Example

Airport staff began embarkation for the Seoul flight at Gate 12.

embarkation for [flight]

Families waited by the ferry ramp until embarkation started at sunset.

embarkation started

Common collocations
  • begin embarkation
  • during embarkation
  • embarkation gate
  • point of embarkation
Synonyms
  • boarding

    more common in everyday airport and ferry language

  • departure

    broader term; includes the whole leaving event, not just getting on

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

embarkation for [flight/journey]

during embarkation

Usage Note

More formal than boarding and most common in travel notices, schedules, and official announcements. It refers to the process of getting on, not the journey after departure.

Common Mistakes

The embarkation took three hours across the sea.
The voyage took three hours after embarkation.
'embarkation' means getting on the ship or plane, not the trip itself.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Embarkation is the most formal of these three travel words. Boarding is the everyday term people hear at airports and ferry terminals, while embarkation often appears in schedules, cruise notices, or official instructions. Departure is broader still: it covers the whole act of leaving, not only the moment when people get onto the vehicle.

embarkation ↗boarding ↗departure ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • embarkation gate
  • embarkation ramp
  • embarkation point

Phrases

  • begin embarkation
  • during embarkation

Prepositions

  • embarkation for [flight]
  • embarkation from [port]

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

Embarkation is formed from embark and the noun ending -ation. Embark came into English through French and originally referred to going onto a ship.