(n.) A vessel having one mast and fore-and-aft rig, consisting of a boom-and-gaff mainsail, jibs, staysail, and gaff topsail. The typical sloop has a fixed bowsprit, topmast, and standing rigging, while those of a cutter are capable of being readily shifted. The sloop usually carries a centerboard, and depends for stability upon breadth of beam rather than depth of keel. The two types have rapidly approximated since 1880. One radical distinction is that a slop may carry a centerboard. See Cutter, and Illustration in Appendix.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). sloop. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/sloop/definitions/2063018 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "sloop" http://smartdefine.org/sloop/definitions/2063018 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, sloop, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/sloop/definitions/2063018>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "sloop" 28 May 2011. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/sloop/definitions/2063018> |