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.

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

This time, we went with a private airboat through Viator, and wow—the experience was incredible.

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

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

The tall Seminole who was driving the airboat wore a straw cowboy hat.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

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