flatboat

noun

flat·​boat ˈflat-ˌbōt How to pronounce flatboat (audio)
: a boat with a flat bottom and square ends used for transportation of bulky freight especially in shallow waters

Examples of flatboat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Those who made it safely to New Orleans sold their wares, then sold the warped wood from their flatboats as scrap. Boyce Upholt, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 June 2024 As many as a quarter of all flatboats wrecked en route to New Orleans. Boyce Upholt, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 June 2024 Broadhorn was another name for a flatboat — square of bow, shallow of draft and requiring little in the way of construction expertise — because the long, curved steering oars were wielded from atop the cabin and appeared like giant horns at a squint. Ben McGrath, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2022 Travel writer Rinker Buck built a flatboat and traveled from Pittsburgh to New Orleans on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Monitor Reviewers, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Dec. 2022 See all Example Sentences for flatboat 

Word History

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flatboat was in 1653

Dictionary Entries Near flatboat

Cite this Entry

“Flatboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flatboat. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

flatboat

noun
flat·​boat -ˌbōt How to pronounce flatboat (audio)
: a boat with a flat bottom and square ends used on rivers for carrying freight

More from Merriam-Webster on flatboat

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!