keeled; keeling; keels
1
: to fall in or as if in a faint
—usually used with over
keeled over from exhaustion
2
of a boat or ship
: to heel or lean precariously
1
a
: the chief structural member of a boat or ship that extends longitudinally along the center of its bottom and that often projects from the bottom
also
: this projection
b
: ship
2
: a projection suggesting the keel of a boat or ship: such as
a
: an anatomical process forming a ridge (as on the sternum of a bird) : carina sense 1
b
botany
: the lower part of a papilionaceous flower (as of a pea or bean plant) that consists of two fused petals, lies between the wings (see wing sense 2e(2)), and encloses the pistil and stamens
The keel, the lowest petal of the pea-like flower, is short and rounded.—
Sylvan T. Runkel and Dean M. Roose
Sylvan T. Runkel and Dean M. Roose
: a flat-bottomed barge used especially on the Tyne to carry coal
Synonyms
Verb (1)
Noun (1)
Examples of keel in a Sentence
Verb (1)
I swear I'll keel over if you make me dissect a frog
Noun (1)
for a few days at least, the Titanic was the largest and grandest keel afloat
Recent Examples on the WebDemocrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 13 June 2024
Lisa has awoken something dark and terrible, and all the prayers in the world to the VoG are useless as its long fingernails scrape the bottom of the boat’s keel.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2024
Being a bit of a handy man in a fight himself, Father Ryan taught Frankie how to roll with a punch, how to upset a right swing with a left stab to his shoulder, and how to swing in with a right cross to the nubbin of the chin while his man was off keel.
—Westbrook Pegler, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2024
For years, amid its escalating trade battles with the United States, Beijing has been able to count on its other key Western trading partner, the 27-nation European Union, to steer clear of the superpower storm and keep economic relations on an even keel.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for keel 
Noun
The Quest was found using sonar scans on Sunday evening, sitting on its keel under 1,280 feet of churning, frigid water, the society said.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 13 June 2024
Lisa has awoken something dark and terrible, and all the prayers in the world to the VoG are useless as its long fingernails scrape the bottom of the boat’s keel.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2024
Being a bit of a handy man in a fight himself, Father Ryan taught Frankie how to roll with a punch, how to upset a right swing with a left stab to his shoulder, and how to swing in with a right cross to the nubbin of the chin while his man was off keel.
—Westbrook Pegler, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2024
For years, amid its escalating trade battles with the United States, Beijing has been able to count on its other key Western trading partner, the 27-nation European Union, to steer clear of the superpower storm and keep economic relations on an even keel.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for keel
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'keel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near keel
Cite this Entry
“Keel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keel. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
keel
1 of 2 noun1
: a timber or plate that runs lengthwise along the center of the bottom of a ship and usually sticks out from the bottom
2
: something (as the breastbone of a bird or the lower two petals of a pea flower) that is like a ship's keel in form or use
keel
2 of 2 verb
: to turn (a ship or boat) over
Medical Definition
keel
noun
: acute septicemic salmonellosis or paratyphoid of ducklings marked by sudden collapse and death of apparently healthy birds
called also keel disease
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