Oars are long poles with a wide, flat blade at one end which are used for rowing a boat.
Synonyms: paddle More Synonyms of oar
oar in British English
(ɔː)
noun
1.
a long shaft of wood for propelling a boat by rowing, having a broad blade that is dipped into and pulled against the water. Oars were also used for steering certain kinds of ancient sailing boats
2. short for oarsman
3. put one's oar in
verb
4.
to row or propel with or as if with oars
the two men were oaring their way across the lake
Derived forms
oarless (ˈoarless)
adjective
oarlike (ˈoarˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English ār, of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse ār
oar in American English
(ɔr)
noun
1.
a long pole with a broad blade at one end, held in place by an oarlock and used inpairs to row a boat: a single oar is sometimes used in steering a boat
2.
a person who uses an oar; rower
verb transitive, verb intransitive
3.
to row
Idioms:
put one's oar in
rest on one's oars
Word origin
ME ore < OE ar, akin to ON < IE *oyer-, rudder pole < base *ei-, *oi-, pole, rod > Gr oiēion, rudder
More idioms containing
oar
put your oar in
Examples of 'oar' in a sentence
oar
Coaches often tell their rowers to use their weight at the end of the oars.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
They will row into and out of port pulling on two huge oars.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
But sticking the old oar in when the parents are physically present also counts as real bravery.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
He was rowing with two oars but going against the wind and tide.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
They attempt to paddle the boat back to shore but they are too weak to use the oar with any effectiveness.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The boats were to be rowed with muffled oars, and the men were to wade ashore.
Hibbert, Christopher Red Coats and Rebels - the war for America 1770-1781 (1990)
It makes our teeth itch when the contestants' families stick their oars in.
The Sun (2013)
If your next holiday can make a difference, why not stick your oar in?
The Sun (2013)
He used his oars little, satisfied to go with the tide and be taken back by it.
George Eliot Daniel Deronda (1876)
If there is more muscle pulling that oar, then the force is stronger and the boat gains a momentum of its own.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He had tied a plastic sheet to a flimsy paddle to use as a sail, and was using another oar as a rudder.
The Sun (2013)
Set the sail; out oars; the helm!
Herman Melville Moby Dick (1901)
All we had to do now was work out a way to get back to it in the absence of oars, sails or an engine.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
He crammed his men into the boat and headed into the Channel, propelled by the two oars.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Amazing what a few pulls on an oar and some guys on bikes in Star Wars helmets can do to swing the public mood.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In other languages
oar
British English: oar /ɔː/ NOUN
Oars are long poles with flat ends which are used for rowing a boat.
American English: oar
Arabic: مِجْدَافٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: remo
Chinese: 桨
Croatian: veslo
Czech: veslo
Danish: åre
Dutch: roeispaan
European Spanish: remo utensilio
Finnish: airo
French: rame
German: Ruder
Greek: κουπί
Italian: remo
Japanese: オール
Korean: 노
Norwegian: åre redskap
Polish: wiosło
European Portuguese: remo
Romanian: vâslă
Russian: весло
Latin American Spanish: remo
Swedish: åra
Thai: ไม้พาย
Turkish: kürek
Ukrainian: весло
Vietnamese: mái chèo
Chinese translation of 'oar'
oar
(ɔːʳ)
n(c)
桨(槳) (jiǎng) (只, zhī)
to put or shove one's oar in (inf, = interfere) 干预(預) (gānyù)