oarlock

American

[awr-lok, ohr-] / ˈɔrˌlɒk, ˈoʊr- /

noun

any of various devices providing a pivot for an oar in rowing, especially a swiveling, crutchlike or ringlike metal device projecting above a gunwale.

oarlock British

/ ˈɔːˌlɒk /

noun

Also called: rowlock. a swivelling device attached to the gunwale of a boat that holds an oar in place and acts as a fulcrum during rowing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of oarlock

before 1100; Middle English orlok, Old English ārloc. See oar, lock ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Next, using that remarkable, newly discovered tool, his rodent teeth, he made two long oars, or sweeps, which he placed in notches he had gnawed out for oarlocks.

From Literature

Rowing, or crew, uses rowing oars that are attached to a boat using oarlocks, unlike paddles, which are unattached.

From Seattle Times

But see him now, his taut arms and tight fists gripping the oars, balanced in their oarlocks.

From Washington Post

Just the slow periodic rack and shuffle of the oarlocks.

From Literature

As I bent to the oarlock a weakness ran all through my body.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023