airboat

American  

[air-boht] / ˈɛərˌboʊt /

noun

1. 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)

1. to go or travel in an airboat.

airboat British  

/ ˈɛəˌbəʊt /

noun

1. another name for swamp boat

---

Etymology

Origin of airboat

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

Example Sentences

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

The pair managed to get out of the plane and to shallow water where a Wausau Fire Department airboat rescued them about 15 minutes later, at 21:05 local time, according to the sheriff's office.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 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

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

Although the airboat was very fast, the ride across the shallows was like gliding on silk.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen