noun

keel

noun

The main structural beam running along the bottom of a ship's hull, from front to back.

"The keel was laid before the rest of the hull took shape."

"Barnacles had built up along the ship's keel."

A fin-like blade fixed under a sailboat to stop it sliding sideways and to help it stay upright.

"A deep keel makes the yacht harder to capsize."

verb

To capsize or roll over, keel side up (usually as "keel over").

"The dinghy keeled over in the sudden gust."

How to Use Keel

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe backbone beam or fin along the bottom of a boat that keeps it stable and steady in the water.

Common mistake

"Keel over" (collapse or capsize) is the common idiom people actually use day to day, more than the noun itself.

Common pairings

keel over lay the keel deep keel

keeled past tense, keeled past tense, keeled past tense, keels plural, keels plural, keels singular, keels singular, keels singular

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Can you complete this real example?

The _____ was laid before the rest of the hull took shape.

From Old Norse kjǫlr, referring to a ship's spine-like base timber.

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