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.

See Examples For:

airboat

Firefighters aboard an airboat rescued the men about 15 minutes later, according to the sheriff’s office.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

Several US outlets have reported a statement from his lawyers which says that Peters was "following the instructions of a licensed airboat guide", and that "no animals or people were harmed" during the incident.

From BBC ● May 7, 2026

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

The Coast Guard was able to rescue nine people; four others were rescued by the other agencies; and seven were able to get to shore themselves on an airboat, she said.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 22, 2024

He was looking forward to his first airboat ride in the Everglades.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

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