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# buoy

noun (a buoy, buoys); verb (buoy, buoys, buoyed, buoying)

«buoy» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A floating object in the sea or a river, fixed in place, that marks a safe path, a danger, or where to stop. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buoy/#m1)
2. A life buoy: a ring that floats, thrown to someone in the water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buoy/#m2)
3. (verb) To keep something afloat. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buoy/#m3)
4. (verb) Buoy up: to make someone feel more cheerful or hopeful. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buoy/#m4)

### In the lessons

In safety and beach lessons, swim between the flags and stay away from buoys marking boat lanes; throw a life buoy to someone in trouble, don't jump in. In science, buoys float because of buoyancy. In everyday talk, good news buoys people up. Phrases: life buoy, buoyed up, marker buoy.

### Examples

- A red buoy marked the rocks. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buoy/#x1)
- Throw the life buoy to the swimmer! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buoy/#x2)
- The boats tied up to the buoys in the harbour. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buoy/#x3)
- The good news buoyed everyone's spirits. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buoy/#x4)
- The buoy bobbed up and down on the waves. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buoy/#x5)
- Swimmers must stay inside the yellow buoys. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buoy/#x6)
- The buoy floated back and forth in the shallow water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buoy/#x7)

### Note

Pronounced BOY in the UK and BOO-ee in the US. Same sound as boy in UK English, a homophone. Adjective buoyant; noun buoyancy (the upward push of water).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «buoy» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buoy/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«buoy» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/buoy.html) on Mova free.