hoy

IPA/hɔɪ/

KK[hˈɔɪ]IPA/hɔɪ/

1.exclamationC2

Definition

A shout meant to get someone to notice you, similar to calling 'hey!' or 'ahoy!' across a distance or in a busy place.

Example

Hoy! Over here! The captain needs your help with the rope.

exclamation used to call for attention

Tamás cupped his hands and shouted, "Hoy there, is anyone on board?"

"hoy there" as a hailing phrase

Synonyms

hey
modern everyday equivalent; much more common
ahoy
extended form traditionally used at sea; more widely recognised today
yo
informal attention-getter, especially in American English

Usage Note

Now very old-fashioned in everyday English. Occasionally heard in historical films, nautical fiction, or regional British dialects. The longer form 'ahoy' is more common in modern use, especially as 'ship ahoy!' or 'ahoy there!'.

Common Mistakes

He hoyed at me from across the street.

He shouted "Hoy!" at me from across the street.

'hoy' is an exclamation, not a verb; it should appear in quotation marks as a cry.

1.nounC2

Definition

a small sailing vessel with a single mast and a simple rig, built to move goods along a coastline rather than across an open ocean.

Example

The old hoy carried coal and timber along the coast of Cornwall in the 1800s.

collocation: carry [cargo] along the coast

Fishermen tied their catch to a wooden hoy anchored near the harbour wall.

collocation: wooden hoy

Common collocations

wooden hoy
small hoy
carry cargo in a hoy
sail a hoy
anchor a hoy

Synonyms

coaster
general modern term for a ship trading along a coast
sloop
similar rig but usually smaller and faster; not limited to coastal trade
cutter
a single-masted vessel with a different sail layout, often used for light cargo or pilot duties

Usage Note

Primarily encountered in historical writing about coastal trade, especially British waters (the English Channel, Irish Sea). The hoy was a workhorse vessel before railways took over goods transport. Do not confuse with 'sloop', which is usually smaller and often built for speed.

Common Mistakes

The hoy sailed across the Atlantic.

The hoy sailed along the coast to the next port.

hoys were designed for coastal waters, not open-ocean crossings.

2.nounC2

Definition

a large flat-bottomed boat without its own engine or sails, designed to carry heavy loads such as coal, grain, or bricks through canals and inland waterways.

Example

Workers used ropes to pull the laden hoy slowly along the narrow canal.

passive: pulled along the canal with ropes

Each hoy carried nearly twenty tons of coal from the mine to the city factories.

collocation: carried [quantity] of [cargo]

Common collocations

flat hoy
heavy hoy
pull a hoy
laden hoy
load a hoy with [cargo]

Synonyms

barge
the modern and general term; 'hoy' is now an archaic or historical label
flatboat
descriptive term emphasising the flat bottom
canal boat
general term for any vessel used on canals

Usage Note

Technically distinct from the sailing hoy (sense 1). This type had no means of self-propulsion and was moved by horses or people walking alongside the canal bank, or later by tugboats. In modern contexts, 'barge' is the usual word.

Common Mistakes

The hoy had a big sail to catch the wind on the canal.

The hoy on the canal had no sails

it was pulled by horses from the bank.' — the canal hoy is flat-bottomed and unpowered, unlike the sailing hoy used at sea.

Word family

hoys
nounC2
ahoy
exclamationC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe small-to-medium sailing or cargo vessels, but each has a distinct historical role. A 'hoy' was a sturdy, single-masted coasting ship built for carrying heavy goods (coal, timber, salt) along shorelines — it was the workhorse of local trade rather than a vessel designed for speed or ocean crossings. A 'sloop' shares the single-mast rig but is usually faster and more manoeuvrable, often used for piloting, light cargo, or racing. A 'cutter' has a similar mast but carries extra sails (two headsails instead of one) and is built for speed and close handling, making it popular with smugglers and revenue officers in the 18th century. A 'barge' is flat-bottomed and unpowered (or towed), confined to rivers and canals; unlike the hoy, it never crossed open water. To remember: if it carried coal from port to port along a coastline, it was likely a hoy.

hoy ↗sloop ↗cutter ↗barge ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

hoy master
hoy crew
hoy cargo
hoy service

Prepositions

along the coast in a hoy
on board a hoy
by hoy

Etymology

Middle DutchEnglish

The word 'hoy' for a small coastal ship entered English in the 15th century, borrowed from Middle Dutch 'hoey' or 'hoeg', which referred to a type of fishing or cargo vessel. The exclamation 'hoy!' (used to call attention) has a separate but related history — it comes from Middle Dutch 'hoi', an interjection used to hail someone. By the 19th century, English speakers had merged both uses into the same word, and 'ahoy' (a hoy with the added a- prefix) became the standard nautical greeting. Both the ship and the shout are now largely historical, surviving mostly in maritime museum exhibits and period literature.

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hoy

hoy — exclamation

1. A shout meant to get someone to notice you, similar to calling 'hey!' or 'ahoy!'

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

hoy — noun

1. a small sailing vessel with a single mast and a simple rig, built to move goods

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. a large flat-bottomed boat without its own engine or sails, designed to carry he

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Prepositions

Etymology

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