WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ˈboat ˌpeo•ple, n. [plural]
  1. Sociologyrefugees who have fled a country by boat, usually without enough food or water.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
boat′ peo′ple, 
  1. Sociologyrefugees who have fled a country by boat, usually without sufficient provisions, navigational aids, or a set destination, esp. those who left Indochina by sea as a result of the fall of South Vietnam in 1975.
  • 1975–80


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