flatboat

[ flat-boht ]
See synonyms for flatboat on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a large, flat-bottomed boat for use in shallow water, especially on rivers.

Origin of flatboat

1
First recorded in 1650–60; flat1 + boat

Words Nearby flatboat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use flatboat in a sentence

  • Out in deep water it would sink, and that would be the last ever seen or heard of that flatboat.

    Motor Matt's "Century" Run | Stanley R. Matthews
  • Only two men got on the flatboat with Charlie when it was ready.

    A Confederate Girl's Diary | Sarah Margan Dawson
  • Shaking his head, the chief of the boatmen made an angry gesture toward the flatboat.

    Shaman | Robert Shea
  • As you know, the flatboat kept on down the river till it reached the clearing this morning.

    The Phantom of the River | Edward S. Ellis
  • There was nothing in the appearance of the flatboat to interest him, nor could he note any change in the looks of the cabin.

    The Phantom of the River | Edward S. Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for flatboat

flatboat

/ (ˈflætˌbəʊt) /


noun
  1. any boat with a flat bottom, usually for transporting goods on a canal or river

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