gunboat

[guhn-boht]

See more synonyms for gunboat on Thesaurus.com

noun

a small, armed warship of light draft, used in ports where the water is shallow.
any small ship carrying mounted guns.

Origin of gunboat

First recorded in 1770–80; gun¹ + boat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for gunboat

bucket, jar, bottle, package, canister, frigate, destroyer, corvette, battleship, submarine, gunboat, cutter, vessel, receptacle, cannikin, aluminum, tin, dreadnaught, cruiser, dreadnought

Examples from the Web for gunboat

Historical Examples of gunboat

Their gunboat Marmaris was sunk, and the transport Masul captured.
The Story of the Great War, Volume III (of VIII)
Various
She witnessed the first embarkation in a gunboat at Sheerness.
The Last Voyage
Lady (Annie Allnutt) Brassey
It was a swordfish and he resembled a gunboat with purple outriggers.
Tales of Fishes
Zane Grey
The 'Langford' knocked out the gunboat 'Smith' in three rounds.
Punch or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, December 2, 1914
Various
At a signal from the brig, made by waving a flag on the forecastle, the gunboat was stopped.
'Twixt Land & Sea
Joseph Conrad

British Dictionary definitions for gunboat

gunboat

noun

a small shallow-draft vessel carrying mounted guns and used by coastal patrols, etc

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

Word Origin and History for gunboat

1793, from gun + boat. Gunboat diplomacy is from 1916, originally with reference to Western policies in China.