- a small light canoe-like boat used by Inuit people, consisting of a light frame covered with watertight animal skins
- a fibreglass or canvas-covered canoe of similar design
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
kay•ak /ˈkaɪæk/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
v. [no object]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Nautical, Anthropology, Naval Terms, Sportan Eskimo canoe with a skin cover on a light framework and a flexible opening at the center.
- Nautical, Naval Terms, Sporta small boat resembling this.
v. [no object]
- Sport, Nautical, Naval Termsto go or travel by kayak.
kay•ak
(kī′ak),USA pronunciation n.
v.i.
v.t.
kay′ak•er, n.
- Nautical, Anthropology, Naval Terms, Sportan Eskimo canoe with a skin cover on a light framework, made watertight by flexible closure around the waist of the occupant and propelled with a double-bladed paddle.
- Nautical, Naval Terms, Sporta small boat resembling this, made commercially of a variety of materials and used in sports.
v.i.
- Sport, Nautical, Naval Termsto go or travel by kayak.
v.t.
- Sport, Nautical, Naval Termsto travel on by kayak:to kayak the Colorado River.
- Inuit qayaq
- 1750–60
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
kayak, kaiak /ˈkaɪæk/ n
'kayaking' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):