buoy
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To keep afloat or aloft.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
booeeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbui
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To keep afloat or aloft; used with up.
“The life vest buoyed him up.”
transitive
To support or maintain at a high level.
To maintain or enhance enthusiasm or confidence; to lift the spirits of.
transitive
To mark with a buoy.
noun
nautical
A float moored in water to mark a location, warn of danger, indicate a navigational channel or for other purposes
A lifebuoy; a life preserver.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A float moored in water to mark a location, warn of danger, indicate a navigational channel or for other purposes
Used this way, buoy is a specialist word with a faintly unfavourable edge. This is a nautical use: it is standard at sea and largely unfamiliar ashore.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly negative
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Critical or judgemental
- Usage feel
- Clinical and detached
Where it naturally appears
- Sailing/maritime
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use buoy
- “The life vest buoyed him up.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Become more cheerful.
A life buoy in the form of a ring with short breeches for support.
A buoy with a round bottom and conical top.
A buoy resembling a cone.
A buoy with a bell on it.
A life preserver in the form of a ring of buoyant material.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to keep afloat or aloft
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.