houseboat

[hous-boht]

noun

a flat-bottomed, bargelike boat fitted for use as a floating dwelling but not for rough water.

verb (used without object)

to travel or live on a houseboat.

Nearby words

Origin of houseboat

First recorded in 1780–90; house + boat

Related formshouse·boat·er, noun

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

Examples from the Web for houseboat

Some time later, Giovanditto took D and two other male students for a ride on a houseboat he had rented.
Murder in Celebration, Florida: The Victim’s Secret Life|Barbara Spindel, Maria Elena Fernandez|September 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Yes, were on our way, said Mr. Howbridge, giving the wheel a turn and sending the houseboat out into the stream.
The Corner House Girls on a Houseboat|Grace Brooks Hill
Standing on the upper deck, we could look down stream to the place where our houseboat had been stopped by the row of pilings.
Virginia: The Old Dominion|Frank W. Hutchins and Cortelle Hutchins
They then spent the night with the houseboat and motor boat at anchor.
Madge Morton's Trust|Amy D. V. Chalmers

In May of 1898 we started down to Tientsin by houseboat, with our children, for a much-needed rest and change.
How I Know God Answers Prayer|Rosalind Goforth
Do Uncle and Aunt want us to leave the houseboat and come home at once?
Madge Morton's Victory|Amy D.V. Chalmers

British Dictionary definitions for houseboat

houseboat

noun

a stationary boat or barge used as a home

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 houseboat

houseboat

1790, from house (n.) + boat (n.).