gunboat
[ guhn-boht ]
/ ˈgʌnˌboʊt /
|
noun
a small, armed warship of light draft, used in ports where the water is shallow.
any small ship carrying mounted guns.
RELATED WORDS
bucket, jar, bottle, package, canister, frigate, destroyer, corvette, battleship, submarine, cutter, vessel, receptacle, cannikin, aluminum, tin, dreadnaught, cruiser, dreadnought, gutbucket
Nearby words
gun-metal, gun-shy, gun-toting, gun., guna, gunboat, gunboat diplomacy, guncotton, gunda, gundi, gunfight
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for gunboats
British Dictionary definitions for gunboats
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 gunboats
gunboat
1793, from gun + boat. Gunboat diplomacy is from 1916, originally with reference to Western policies in China.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper