What does "hydrofoil" mean?

A wing attached to the hull of a ship that raises it out of the water when travelling at speed and thus reduces drag.

What is a synonym for "hydrofoil"?

Common synonyms include: hydroplane, boat, canoe, cruiser, ferry, foil.

Pronounced //ˈhɑe.dɹəˌfoɪl//.

//ˈhɑe.dɹəˌfoɪl// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A wing attached to the hull of a ship that raises it out of the water when travelling at speed and thus reduces drag.
2
a speedboat that is equipped with winglike structures that lift it so that it skims the water at high speeds wordnet
3
A vessel equipped with such a device.
4
a device consisting of a flat or curved piece (as a metal plate) so that its surface reacts to the water it is passing through wordnet

Verb

1
To operate or use or ride atop a hydrofoil wing on a hull so equipped. intransitive

From hydro- + foil.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.