a large boxlike structure that can be submerged to allow a vessel to enter it and then floated to raise the vessel out of the water for maintenance or repair
Also called: floating dry dock
floating dock in American English
noun
a submersible, floating structure used as a dry dock, having a floor that is submerged, slipped under a floating vessel, and then raised so as to raise the vessel entirely out of the water
Also called: floating dry dock
Word origin
[1865–70]This word is first recorded in the period 1865–70. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: batting average, black belt, goulash, maverick, springboard
Examples of 'floating dock' in a sentence
floating dock
Last year, she had to use a floating dock just downriver from the bridge.
The Sun (2006)
A stroll along the boardwalks lined with yachts leads to a floating dock bar, where happy hour lasts all night.