Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

gunboat

American  
[guhn-boht] / ˈgʌnˌboʊt /

noun

  1. a small, armed warship of light draft, used in ports where the water is shallow.

  2. any small ship carrying mounted guns.

gunboat British  
/ ˈɡʌnˌbəʊt /

noun

  1. 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

Etymology

Origin of gunboat

First recorded in 1770–80; gun 1 + 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.

“Bonilla Gone With Hornet,” the New York Times reported Dec. 24, 1910, after the gunboat left New Orleans carrying Honduras’s ex-president Manuel Bonilla, American mercenaries, arms, and ammunition.

From Barron's • Jan. 18, 2026

“The ramifications over America’s gunboat diplomacy are likely to be more influential within Latin America,” Capital Economics’ Neil Shearing says in commentary.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 4, 2026

The reaction among our Latin American neighbors to this modern edition of gunboat diplomacy was, to say the least, decidedly negative.

From Salon • Mar. 7, 2025

Brittany Ferries' Mont St Michel was accompanied by a flotilla of vintage and serving warships, including World War Two-era motor gunboat 81, motor launch HMS Medusa and RAF rescue boat HSL 102.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2024

Halfway across they stopped to admire a gunboat gliding under the bridge.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.