canoe

C3A1N1O1E1
/kəˈnuː/

noun

A small long and narrow boat, propelled by one or more people (depending on the size of canoe), using single-bladed paddles. The paddlers face in the direction of travel, in either a seated position, or kneeling on the bottom of the boat. Canoes are open on top, and pointed at both ends.

CommonScrabble 7

Meanings

canoe1

nouncanoe (plural canoes)

plural canoes

  1. nauticalA small long and narrow boat, propelled by one or more people (depending on the size of canoe), using single-bladed paddles. The paddlers face in the direction of travel, in either a seated position, or kneeling on the bottom of the boat. Canoes are open on top, and pointed at both ends.

    The canoe is of pure black oak, and is in excellent preservation.

    1886 January 28, The Antiquary: A Magazine Devoted to the Study of the Past, volume XIII, number 73, page 135
    2 more examples

    He and Gerald usually challenged the rollers in a sponson canoe when Gerald was there for the weekend; […]

    1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter IX, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC

    His program also included a survey of the new course of the lower Tarim river in Eastern Turkistan and its terminal lake Lop-nor. This part of the expedition started in April 1934, from Könche or Yü-li-hsien, a small village about 45 km. SSE of Korla, whence Dr. Hedin followed the river Könche-darya and its continuation Qum-darya, travelling in native canoes.

    1939, Folke Bergman, “Ancient Remains Along "The Small River"”, in Archaeological Researches in Sinkiang Especially the Lop-Nor Region, number 7, Stockholm: Bokförlags Aktiebolaget Thule, →OCLC, page 51
  2. slangAn oversize, usually older, luxury car.
  3. gamblingAny of the deflectors positioned around a roulette wheel, shaped like upside-down boats.
verbcanoe (third-person singular simple present canoes, present participle canoeing, simple past and past participle canoed)

present singular third person canoes · participle present canoeing · participle past canoed · past canoed

  1. To ride or paddle a canoe.

    Car drivers were helicoptered to safety from nearby roads. There were photographs of people canoeing down streets.

    2023 November 29, Paul Clifton, “West is best in the Highlands”, in RAIL, number 997, page 40
  2. USslanggovernmentTo split someone's head with a round.

    The email said, “Do you know how happy I’ll be when your cunt ass face is canoed by an assault rifle? Tick tock bitch. Watch your back.” Canoeing is a term for when people mutilate someone’s head.

    2026 March 26, Joseph Cox, “Apple Gives FBI a User’s Real Name Hidden Behind ’Hide My Email’ Feature”, in 404 Media

Canoe2

Origin

  1. Proto-Arawak*kanawa
  2. Taíno*kanowa
  3. Spanishcanoa
  4. Englishcanoe

Adopted in 16th century from Spanish canoa, from Taíno *kanowa (“dugout canoe”) (compare Lokono kanoa (“canoe”), Wayuu anuwa, anua (“boat, canoe”)), from Proto-Arawak *kanawa.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic قَارِب الْكَانُو
  • قَارِب الْكَانُو (qārib al-kānū)small long and narrow boat
Bulgarian кану
  • кану (kanu)small long and narrow boat
Catalan canoa
  • canoasmall long and narrow boat
Chinese Mandarin 獨木舟 /独木舟
  • 獨木舟 /独木舟 (dúmùzhōu)small long and narrow boat
Czech kánoe
  • kánoesmall long and narrow boat
Danish kano
  • kanosmall long and narrow boat
Dutch kano, korjaal
  • kanosmall long and narrow boat
  • korjaalsmall long and narrow boat
Esperanto kanuo, kanoto
  • kanuosmall long and narrow boat
  • kanotosmall long and narrow boat
Estonian kanuu
  • kanuusmall long and narrow boat
Finnish kanootti, meloa
  • kanoottismall long and narrow boat
  • meloato ride or paddle a canoe
  • meloa kanootillato ride or paddle a canoe
French canoë
  • canoësmall long and narrow boat
German Kanu, Kanadier
  • Kanusmall long and narrow boat
  • Kanadiersmall long and narrow boat
  • paddelnto ride or paddle a canoe
Greek κανό
  • κανό (kanó)small long and narrow boat
Hawaiian waʻa
  • waʻasmall long and narrow boat
Hebrew קנו
  • קנוsmall long and narrow boat
Hindi डोंगी, डोँगी
  • डोंगी (ḍoṅgī)small long and narrow boat
  • डोँगी (ḍõgī)small long and narrow boat
  • डोँगा (ḍõgā)small long and narrow boat
Hungarian kenu
  • kenusmall long and narrow boat
Irish canú, báidín
  • canúsmall long and narrow boat
  • báidínsmall long and narrow boat
  • curachsmall long and narrow boat
  • curachánsmall long and narrow boat
  • curach chaolsmall long and narrow boat
Italian canoa, andare in canoa
  • canoasmall long and narrow boat
  • andare in canoato ride or paddle a canoe
Japanese カヌー, カヌーを漕ぐ
  • カヌー (kanū)small long and narrow boat
  • カヌーを漕ぐ (kanū o kogu)to ride or paddle a canoe
Korean 카누, 카누를 젓다
  • 카누 (kanu)small long and narrow boat
  • 카누를 젓다 (kanu-reul jeotda)to ride or paddle a canoe
Latvian kanu laiva
  • kanu laivasmall long and narrow boat
Malay kanu
  • kanusmall long and narrow boat
Māori waka
  • wakasmall long and narrow boat
Norwegian kano
  • kanosmall long and narrow boat
Norwegian Bokmål padle kano
  • padle kanoto ride or paddle a canoe
Persian کانو
  • کانوsmall long and narrow boat
Polish kanu
  • kanusmall long and narrow boat
Portuguese canoa
  • canoasmall long and narrow boat
Romanian canoe
  • canoesmall long and narrow boat
Russian кано́э, байда́рка
  • кано́э (kanóe)small long and narrow boat
  • байда́рка (bajdárka)small long and narrow boat
Slovak kanoe
  • kanoesmall long and narrow boat
Spanish canoa
  • canoasmall long and narrow boat
Swedish kanot
  • kanotsmall long and narrow boat
Tagalog lunday
  • lundaysmall long and narrow boat
Thai เรือแจว
  • เรือแจว (rʉʉa-jɛɛo)small long and narrow boat
Turkish kano, kayık
  • kanosmall long and narrow boat
  • kayıksmall long and narrow boat
Ukrainian кано́е
  • кано́е (kanóe)small long and narrow boat
Vietnamese xuồng
  • xuồngsmall long and narrow boat
Welsh ceufad, canŵ
  • ceufadsmall long and narrow boat
  • canŵsmall long and narrow boat

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with canoe

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

canoe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/canoe

MLA

“canoe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/canoe. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “canoe,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/canoe.

Source: canoe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.