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

"Jeremy's a great airboat captain and loves interacting with wildlife & customers."

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

More than 100 searchers, including police, rangers and civilians, scoured the park Sunday using drones, bloodhounds and an airboat.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 2, 2023

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

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

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