gunboat

[ guhn-boht ]

/ ˈgʌnˌboʊt /

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.

Nearby words

gun-metal, gun-shy, gun-toting, gun., guna, gunboat, gunboat diplomacy, guncotton, gunda, gundi, gunfight

Origin of gunboat

First recorded in 1770–80; gun¹ + boat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for gunboat

Some ventured to say it was a gunboat up the river practising.
Adventures and Reminiscences of a Volunteer|George T. Ulmer
The gunboat fire was stopped for a time by signal, then recommenced in a different direction.
Ten years in the ranks, U.S. army|Augustus Meyers
It was the gunboat 28 coming up from Memphis; she was shelling the rebels along the shore as she came up.
Reports of the Committee on the Conduct of the War|United States Senate
He visited Grand Gulf, went on board of a gunboat, borrowed a shirt, and sat up till midnight writing despatches.
Our Standard-Bearer|Oliver Optic

The gunboat came out as a long dark shape wallowing on the water to the east.
Tono Bungay|H. G. Wells

British Dictionary definitions for gunboat

gunboat

/ (ˈɡʌnˌbəʊt) /

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

gunboat

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

gunboat

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of gunboat

Examples from the Web for gunboat

British Dictionary definitions for gunboat

gunboat

noun

Word Origin and History for gunboat

gunboat