Showing results for airboat. Search instead for Chain+boat.

airboat

American

[air-boht] / ˈɛərˌboʊt /

noun

Also called swamp boat. a small open boat having a very shallow draft and driven by a caged airplane propeller mounted above the rear transom, capable of traveling at relatively high speeds through shallow water, swamps, etc.

verb (used without object)

to go or travel in an airboat.

airboat British

/ ˈɛəˌbəʊt /

noun

another name for swamp boat

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of airboat

1865–70, for an earlier sense; air(craft) + boat

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

On a previous visit, we booked seats on a public airboat and had a blast—but saw zero alligators, much to our disappointment.

From Salon • Feb. 2, 2026

Below an airboat transports residents rescued from flood waters due to storm surge in Crystal River.

From BBC • Sep. 27, 2024

Deputies and personnel from local fire departments took an airboat onto the lake, finding the missing man and the ATV 4 to 5 feet underwater at 3:22 a.m.

From Washington Times • Dec. 23, 2023

On Sunday evening, emergency responders used an airboat to rescue 35 people after they became stranded on a piece of ice that broke away from shore because of strong winds.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 19, 2023

Making good on his promise, Roy’s father took them out the Tamiami Trail to an Indian tourist shop that offered airboat trips through the Everglades.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023