dreamboat

English
WOTD – 14 February 2022

Etymology

From dream +‎ boat, probably suggesting a person “carrying” or embodying the dreams of another; the term appeared in some 1930s and 1940s love songs, referring to a metaphorical boat carrying a lover’s dreams, such as “When My Dream Boat Comes Home” (1936) written by the Canadian-American bandleader Guy Lombardo (1902–1977) and “Someone’s Rocking My Dreamboat” (1941) by the American songwriters Otis (1898–1970) and Leon René (1902–1982), and Emerson Scott.[1]

Pronunciation
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈdɹiːmbəʊt/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈdɹimˌboʊt/
  • Audio (AU)(file)
  • Rhymes: -iːmbəʊt
  • Hyphenation: dream‧boat

Noun

dreamboat (plural dreamboats) (originally US)

  1. (informal, dated or humorous) An exceptionally good-looking and sexually attractive person, particularly a man.
    Synonyms: hottie, hunk, looker, stunner; see also Thesaurus:beautiful man, Thesaurus:beautiful person
    Antonyms: see Thesaurus:ugly person
    My new fella is such a dreamboat. He can dance, can sing, and is the captain of the school hockey team.
  2. (slang, archaic) Anything considered highly desirable for its kind, especially a car.
    Synonyms: beaut, peach
    My new car is a dreamboat.

Translations

References
  1. “dreamboat, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, June 2020; “dreamboat, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading
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