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.

Words nearby gunboat

gun tackle, 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. 2020

Examples from the Web for gunboats

Besides which they had frigates and a cloud of small armed vessels, gunboats and the like.
The Admiral|Douglas Sladen
Instead of ten vessels, there were only two accompanied by four gunboats, and no troops for landing.
The Egyptian campaigns, 1882 to 1885|Charles Royle
In addition to the land batteries, the gunboats in the river were hurling huge shells at us.
The Southern Soldier Boy|James Carson Elliott
The principle was the same as to gunboats, and the objection of time necessary for building did not exist.
Albert Gallatin|John Austin Stevens

The garrison also attacked the besiegers and received much assistance from French gunboats moored near the shore.
William Pitt and the Great War|John Holland Rose

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

gunboat

noun

Words related to gunboat

Words nearby gunboat

Origin of gunboat

Examples from the Web for gunboats

British Dictionary definitions for gunboats

noun