Definition, synonyms and related words
The sport of guiding a raft while descending a river, especially through rapids known as white water rafting.
"We spent the summer learning the art of rafting by navigating our inflatable boat through the turbulent white water rapids."
In plain English: Rafting is an adventure sport where people float down a river on a large inflatable boat while paddling to steer it through rapids.
"We spent our vacation enjoying rafting on the Colorado River."
Usage: Do not confuse the activity with "canoeing," which involves paddling from within an open boat rather than standing or kneeling on a flat-bottomed vessel. Use this term specifically for commercial or recreational trips down whitewater rivers, not for calm-water excursions.
present participle of raft
"The children were laughing as they floated down the river in a makeshift raft, their bare feet splashing against the water."
In plain English: Rafting means floating down a river on an inflatable boat while holding onto ropes to stay safe from crashing into rocks or capsizing.
"We spent the afternoon rafting down the river in inflatable boats."