What does slipway mean?
A slipway is a sloping ramp running down to the water, traditionally equipped with rails or rollers so that a ship or boat can be launched or brought ashore. The word is particularly associated with maritime and dockyard settings and is most common in British English, although it is also used elsewhere. A slipway may be constructed from concrete, steel, or timber and is distinct from a simple beach used for bringing small craft ashore: it is a purpose-built route for moving a vessel between the water and a raised platform. The word also names the complete launch facility. Shipyards, ports, lifeboat stations, and small boatyards commonly have one. In historical contexts, slipways became especially important as steam-powered ships needed ways to enter and leave the water efficiently.
nounA sloping ramp or track beside the water from which ships or boats are launched, or onto which they are brought ashore.
- A sloping way beside the water, fitted with rails or rollers and used for launching boats and ships or hauling them ashore.
- A facility or ramp associated with ship or boat launching.
"The lifeboat was carried down the slipway and into the water."
"The trawler slid gracefully down the slipway."
"The new slipway allows larger vessels to be serviced at the dock."
The plural is used when referring to multiple launch ramps or maritime facilities.
"The yard built two additional slipways for smaller fishing vessels."
A slipway is a boat's launch ramp—and also the route by which it returns to shore.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does slipway come from?
“Slipway” is a compound of “slip” and “way,” both of which are old English words in wider use. The compound developed in the language of maritime construction, where a slip is an inclined way on which a vessel is launched or hauled ashore. Its precise earliest attestation is uncertain, but the term was well established in nineteenth-century British nautical and engineering usage.
How slipway is actually used
The term is especially associated with British English but is also understood in other English-speaking regions. In maritime usage, it may refer either to the sloping structure itself or, more broadly, to a launchway.