noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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UK, US:/ˈkaɪˌæk/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -aɪæk
CMU ARPABET:K AY1 AE0 K
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A type of small boat, covered over by a surface deck, powered by the occupant or occupants using a double-bladed paddle in a sitting position, from a hole in the surface deck.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
To use a kayak, to travel or race in a kayak.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
Kayaking is an Olympic sport.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To traverse (a body of water) by kayak.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
On a dare, he kayaked the Harlem River in New York from Hell's Gate to Spyten Duyvil.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
a small canoe consisting of a light frame made watertight with animal skins; used by Eskimos
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: canoe
5
verb
Meaning 5
travel in a small canoe
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
we kayaked down the river
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: boat
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Inuktitut ᖃᔭᖅ (qayaq, “hunter's boat”) (Inuvialuktun), from Proto-Eskimo *qayaʁ. Compare Greenlandic qajaq and Yup'ik qayaq.
Across languages
Translations
80 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Aleut:
iqyax̂
— a type of small boat
Aleut:
iĝyax̂
— a type of small boat
Aleut:
iyĝax̂
— a type of small boat
Arabic:
قَايَق
(qāyaq)
— a type of small boat
Arabic:
كَيَاك
(kayāk)
— a type of small boat
Armenian:
կայակ
(kayak)
— a type of small boat
Armenian:
բայդարկա
(baydarka)
— a type of small boat
Carpathian Rusyn:
каяк
(kajak)
— a type of small boat
Catalan:
caiac
— a type of small boat
Chinese Mandarin:
皮艇
(pítǐng)
— a type of small boat
Chinese Mandarin:
獨木舟 /独木舟
(dúmùzhōu)
— a type of small boat
Czech:
kajak
— a type of small boat
Danish:
kajak
— a type of small boat
Dutch:
kajak
— a type of small boat
Esperanto:
kajako
— a type of small boat
Evenki:
kajuk
— a type of small boat
Faroese:
kajakk
— a type of small boat
Finnish:
kajakki
— a type of small boat
French:
kayak
— a type of small boat
Georgian:
ბაიდარა
(baidara)
— a type of small boat
German:
Kajak
— a type of small boat
Greenlandic:
qajaq
— a type of small boat
Hebrew:
קיאק
(kayak)
— a type of small boat
Hungarian:
kajak
— a type of small boat
Icelandic:
kajak
— a type of small boat
Ido:
kayako
— a type of small boat
Indonesian:
kayak
— a type of small boat
Inuktitut:
ᖃᔭᖅ
(qayaq)
— a type of small boat
Inupiaq:
qayaq
— a type of small boat
Japanese:
カヤック
(kayakku)
— a type of small boat
Kazakh:
қылқайық
(qylqaiyq)
— a type of small boat
Khmer:
កាយ៉ាក់
(kaayak)
— a type of small boat
Korean:
카약
(kayak)
— a type of small boat
Kyrgyz:
байдарка
(baydarka)
— a type of small boat
Kyrgyz:
каяк
(kayak)
— a type of small boat
Latvian:
kajaks
— a type of small boat
Māori:
kōreti
— a type of small boat
Norwegian Bokmål:
kajakk
— a type of small boat
Norwegian Nynorsk:
kajakk
— a type of small boat
Old Turkic:
qajiq (qajiq)
— a type of small boat
Persian:
کایاک
(kâyâk)
— a type of small boat
Persian:
قایق
(qâyeq)
— a type of small boat
Polish:
kajak
— a type of small boat
Portuguese:
caiaque
— a type of small boat
Russian:
байда́рка
(bajdárka)
— a type of small boat
Russian:
кая́к
(kaják)
— a type of small boat
Scottish Gaelic:
caidheag
— a type of small boat
Serbo-Croatian:
ка̏ја̄к
— a type of small boat
Serbo-Croatian:
kȁjāk
— a type of small boat
Slovene:
kájak
— a type of small boat
Upper Sorbian:
kajak
— a type of small boat
Spanish:
kayak
— a type of small boat
Spanish:
kayac
— a type of small boat
Spanish:
cayac
— a type of small boat
Swedish:
kajak
— a type of small boat
Thai:
เรือเล็กๆ
(reua lék lék)
— a type of small boat
Thai:
เรือบด
(reua bòt)
— a type of small boat
Thai:
คายัค
(kaa-yák)
— a type of small boat
Turkish:
eskimo kayığı
— a type of small boat
Turkish:
kayık
— a type of small boat
Turkish:
tekne
— a type of small boat
Volapük:
kayak
— a type of small boat
Yup'ik:
qayaq
— a type of small boat
Yup'ik:
paitaalek
— a type of small boat
Dutch:
kajakken
— to use a kayak to travel or race
Finnish:
meloa
— to use a kayak to travel or race
Finnish:
meloa kajakilla
— to use a kayak to travel or race
Finnish:
kajakoida
— to use a kayak to travel or race
French:
kayaker
— to use a kayak to travel or race
Māori:
kōreti
— to use a kayak to travel or race
Māori:
hoe kōreti
— to use a kayak to travel or race
Norwegian Bokmål:
padle kajakk
— to use a kayak to travel or race
Upper Sorbian:
kajakować
— to use a kayak to travel or race
Swedish:
paddla
— to use a kayak to travel or race
Finnish:
meloa
— to traverse a body of water by kayak
Finnish:
meloa kajakilla
— to traverse a body of water by kayak
Finnish:
kajakoida
— to traverse a body of water by kayak
Māori:
kōreti
— to traverse a body of water by kayak
Māori:
hoe kōreti
— to traverse a body of water by kayak
Upper Sorbian:
kajakować
— to traverse a body of water by kayak
