From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbuoybuoy1 /bɔɪ $ ˈbuːi, bɔɪ/ noun [countable] TTWan object that floats on the sea, a lake etc to mark a safe or dangerous area
Examples from the Corpus
buoy• We put a buoy on her; a tuna buoy, a twelve-footer.• To the accompaniment of foghorns and buoy bells, beside a crackling fire, l slowly eat my dinner.• Satellite and buoy data can now detect a developing El Nino eight or nine months before that.• Course racing A discipline of competitive windsurfing which involves racing around a course marked by a series of buoys.• She dived down and swam out strongly against the current, towards an orange buoy at the outer edge of the bay.• But, like Conner, he brushed the buoy and was penalised.• The buoy is somehow a fitting monument to the crew members who lost their lives here.buoybuoy2 (also buoy up) verb [transitive] 1 HAPPYto make someone feel happier or more confident The party is buoyed up by the latest opinion poll results.2 BFto keep profits, prices etc at a high level Increased demand for computers buoyed their profits.3 ON/ON TOP OFto keep something floating→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
buoy• Some investors assert that the lack of a spending accord, for now, will buoy bonds by choking off economic growth.• Democrats were buoyed by election results.• Dole, campaigning in Columbus, Ohio, Friday, was buoyed by the California result.• He was buoyed by the knowledge that at last they had a clear suspect.• Over the last few months the republic had been buoyed by waves of euphoria.• Easier credit would help buoy economic growth.• The needy themselves, buoyed up by economic boom, have been happy to go along.• In a gravitational field this causes the denser air to sink and buoy up the less dense gas.From Longman Business Dictionarybuoybuoy /bɔɪˈbuːi, bɔɪ/ verb [transitive] if the market or prices are buoyed, people feel confident and buy stocks and shares, and prices riseIn Britain, bond prices were buoyed by a rise in the pound.The market was buoyed by gains in some large telecommunications shares.→ See Verb tableOrigin buoy1 (1200-1300) Probably from Middle Dutch boye, boeie, from Latin boia “chain”; because a buoy is kept in place with a chain buoy2 (1500-1600) Spanish boyar “to float”, from boya “buoy”, from Latin boia; → BUOY1 