gangplank

/ˈɡæŋˌpɫæŋk/ noun B1

**Gangplank** is a simple wooden board that lowers from a ship to the dock, letting people step onto land. It can also refer to any temporary wooden bridge that connects two points. This handy planking helps passengers cross water without a full‑sized bridge. In everyday talk, you might hear a gangplank when a ferry drops a board to shore, or a yacht hoists one to a small pier. The term also pops up in jokes about a gangplank of opportunity or the literal wooden ramp that brings you onto a stage. Keep it visual: think of a sturdy board that makes the jump from water to land feel less like a physics problem and more like a smooth transition.

【核心含义】一块从船上放下、连接码头与甲板的简易木板,供人上下船使用,也可指任何临时搭建的木质过渡通道。

常与"放下(lower)""收起(hoist)"搭配,注意与固定桥梁(bridge)的区别——强调临时性和简易性。中文场景中多用于船舶、舞台或比喻性表达(如"机遇的跳板")。

【Significado central】Tablón de madera que se baja desde un barco hasta el muelle para que las personas puedan embarcar o desembarcar; por extensión, cualquier pasarela temporal de madera que conecta dos superficies.

Se combina con verbos como bajar (lower) o recoger/izar (hoist), según se despliegue o se guarde. Aparece sobre todo en contextos de transbordadores (ferrys), cruceros o yates atracados en un embarcadero pequeño. A diferencia de un puente (bridge), la plancha es móvil y temporal; no debe confundirse con "plataforma" ni con "rampa", que son más generales. En el registro marítimo coloquial latinoamericano se le suele llamar simplemente "la plancha". En sentido figurado puede equivaler a "trampolín" (p. ej., "la plancha de la oportunidad").

Word Origin Gangplank is a compound of gang 'a going, passage' (from Proto-Germanic, related to go) and plank 'a flat board.' So it's literally a 'going plank' — the board you walk on to get on or off a ship. Gangway is a similar word, and gang itself later took on the sense of a group of people going together, which gave us gangster. The plank part connects to plain and plane, all from the idea of flatness.

noun a bridge between a ship and the shore B1

The passengers walked down the gangplank from the ship to the dock.

(名词) 跳板

乘客们从船上的跳板走到码头上。

(sustantivo) pasarela; plancha; rampa de embarque [una pasarela entre un barco y la orilla]

Los pasajeros bajaron por la pasarela desde el barco hasta el muelle.

(nom) passerelle; ponton [Passerelle mobile permettant de passer d'un navire à quai, ou inversement.]

Les passagers ont descendu la gangplank pour passer du bateau au quai.

(Substantiv) Landungsbrücke; Laufplanke [eine schmale, bewegliche Brücke, die das Betreten oder Verlassen eines Schiffes ermöglicht]

Die Passagiere gingen über die **gangplank**, um vom Schiff an Land zu kommen.

(名詞) 船と岸を繋ぐために渡される板や橋。

乗客たちは舷門を歩いて船から岸へ降りた。

(substantivo) passarela; tábua de acesso; rampa de acesso [uma ponte entre um navio e a margem]

Os passageiros desceram pela prancha de embarque do navio até o cais.

Synonyms: gangway ramp bridge

noun A board used as a temporary footbridge between a ship and a dockside. countable

The passengers carefully walked down the gangplank to disembark.

(名词) 跳板;舷梯

乘客们小心地走过跳板下船。

(sustantivo) pasarela; plancha; rampa de embarque [Tablón utilizado como puente temporal entre un barco y el muelle.]

Los pasajeros bajaron con cuidado por la pasarela para desembarcar.

(nom) passerelle; passerelle de débarquement; planche de débarquement [Planche ou passerelle amovible permettant de passer entre un navire à quai et le quai lui-même.]

Les passagers ont descendu prudemment la passerelle pour débarquer.

(Substantiv) Landungsbrücke; Laufplanke; Steg [Ein schmales Brett, das als provisorische Brücke zwischen einem Schiff und dem Kai dient, um das Ein- und Aussteigen zu ermöglichen.]

Die Passagiere gingen vorsichtig die **gangplank** hinunter, um von Bord zu gehen.

(名詞) 船と桟橋や岸壁の間に渡される、乗客が乗り降りするための一時的な板。

乗客たちは注意深く舷梯(げんてい)を下りて船を降りた。

(substantivo) portaló; passarela; tábua de acesso [Uma tábua usada como ponte temporária entre um navio e o cais.]

Os passageiros desceram cuidadosamente pela prancha de embarque para desembarcar.

Word parts: gang + plank

Common collocations

be verb to prep across prep of prep down adv on prep over prep

Related words

Get offline access, pronunciation, spaced repetition, and learning games:

Download Syntaxiom →
📱 Offline access 🔊 Pronunciation 🧠 Spaced repetition 📖 Native language bridges