Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense buoys, present participle buoying, past tense, past participle buoyed
1. countable noun
A buoy is a floating object that is used to show ships and boats where they can go and to warn them of danger.
Synonyms: float, guide, signal, marker More Synonyms of buoy
2. verb
If someone in a difficult situation is buoyed by something, it makes them feel more cheerful and optimistic.
In May they danced in the streets, buoyed by their victory. [beVERB-ed + by]
German domestic consumption buoyed the German economy. [VERB noun]
Buoy up means the same as buoy.
They are buoyed up by a sense of hope. [beVERB-ed PARTICLE]
[Also VERB noun PARTICLE]
buoy in British English
(bɔɪ, US English ˈbuːɪ)
noun
1.
a distinctively shaped and coloured float, anchored to the bottom, for designating moorings, navigable channels, or obstructions in a body of water
See also life buoy
verb
2. (transitive; usually foll byup)
to prevent from sinking
the belt buoyed him up
3. (transitive; usually foll byup)
to raise the spirits of; hearten
4. (transitive) nautical
to mark (a channel or obstruction) with a buoy or buoys
5. (intransitive)
to rise to the surface
Word origin
C13: probably of Germanic origin; compare Middle Dutch boeie, boeye; see beacon
buoy in American English
(ˈbui; also, and for 5 usually, bɔɪ)
noun
1.
a.
a floating object anchored in a lake, river, etc. to mark a channel, warn of a hazard, etc., variously shaped and colored, and often equipped with a bell or light
b.
a similar but larger and heavier object, usually with a ring on top, to which a ship can be moored
: in full mooring buoy
2.
life buoy
verb transitive
3.
to mark or provide with a buoy
4.
to keep afloat
usually with up
5.
to lift up or keep up in spirits; encourage
usually with up
Word origin
ME < (? via MDu boeie) OFr buie, chain < L boia, fetter (see boy): prob. first applied to the chain anchoring the float
Examples of 'buoy' in a sentence
buoy
Buoyed by his success he became more autocratic.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The couple are also buoyed by the outpouring of support they receive from their neighbours.
The Sun (2015)
That news buoyed banks and insurers across the board.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Good news on the economy has buoyed investor confidence.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Prices are also being buoyed by a lack of properties.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Mining stocks were also buoyed by rising commodity prices.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Business was also buoyed by signs that access to credit is finally improving.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Commodities were buoyed by recovery hopes on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Sun (2009)
They were also buoyed by the management's belief that prospects beyond next year appear more promising.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Stocks are also being buoyed by a wave of mergers, which has boosted sentiment.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Buoyed by the success of their purchases, the twins have decided to make a business of it.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Buoyed with the news of a lifetime of good luck, we set out on foot across the arid ochre.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The data buoyed hope that trade will not hamper economic growth as it did in last year's final quarter.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Always buoyed up by hope.
Rotundo, E. Anthony American Manhood: Transformations in Masculinity from the Revolution to the ModernEra (1993)
Buoyed by her success with the two Afghan women, she vowed not to give up.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
If economics were all that mattered, an embarrassment like this would have destroyed the party's hopes rather than buoyed them.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Traders were buoyed by a rise in US factory output and a jump in Chinese manufacturing.
The Sun (2010)
Buoyed by my success with the paintings, I decided to go along in person.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
In other languages
buoy
British English: buoy /bɔɪ; ˈbuːɪ/ NOUN
A buoy is a floating object that shows ships and boats where they can go and warns them of danger.
American English: buoy
Arabic: عَوّامَة للإِرْشاد
Brazilian Portuguese: bóia
Chinese: 浮标
Croatian: plovak
Czech: bóje
Danish: bøje afmærkning
Dutch: boei
European Spanish: boya
Finnish: poiju
French: bouée
German: Boje
Greek: σημαδούρα
Italian: boa
Japanese: ブイ
Korean: 부표
Norwegian: bøye
Polish: boja
European Portuguese: bóia
Romanian: baliză
Russian: буй
Latin American Spanish: boya
Swedish: boj
Thai: ทุ่น
Turkish: şamandıra
Ukrainian: буй
Vietnamese: phao
All related terms of 'buoy'
bell buoy
a navigational buoy fitted with a bell , the clapper of which strikes when the waves move the buoy
buoy rope
a rope attaching a buoy to its anchor
can buoy
a buoy with a flat-topped cylindrical shape above water, marking the left side of a channel leading into a harbour : red in British waters but green ( occasionally black) in US waters
dan buoy
a small buoy used as a marker at sea
life buoy
any of various kinds of buoyant device for keeping people afloat in an emergency
nun buoy
a buoy , conical at the top , marking the right side of a channel leading into a harbour : green in British waters but red in US waters
spar buoy
a buoy resembling a vertical log
marker buoy
a buoy used to distinguish or mark something
radio buoy
a buoy equipped to detect underwater noises and transmit them by radio
breeches buoy
a ring-shaped life buoy with a support in the form of a pair of short breeches , in which a person is suspended for safe transfer from a ship
mooring buoy
a buoy to which ships or boats can be moored
radio sono-buoy
a buoy equipped to detect underwater noises and transmit them by radio
Chinese translation of 'buoy'
buoy
(bɔɪ; USˈbuːɪ)
n(c)
浮标(標) (fúbiāo)
(noun)
Definition
a brightly coloured floating object anchored to the sea bed for marking moorings, navigable channels, or obstructions in the water
We released the buoy and drifted back on the tide.
Synonyms
float
guide
Our only guide was the stars overhead.
signal
They fired three distress signals.
marker
beacon
The full moon beams like a beacon in the clear sky.
phrasal verb
See buoy someone up
Additional synonyms
in the sense of beacon
Definition
a signal fire or light on a hill or tower, used formerly as a warning of invasion
The full moon beams like a beacon in the clear sky.
Synonyms
signal,
sign,
rocket,
beam,
flare,
bonfire,
smoke signal,
signal fire
in the sense of guide
Definition
something that can be used to gauge something or to help in planning one's actions