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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

"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:

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

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

Making good on his promise, Roy’s father took them out the Tamiami Trail to an Indian tourist shop that offered airboat trips through the Everglades.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

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