motorboat

American  

[moh-ter-boht] / ˈmoʊ tərˌboʊt /

noun

1. a boat propelled by an inboard or outboard motor.

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verb (used without object)

1. to travel in or operate a motorboat.

   to motorboat from Hyannis to Martha's Vineyard.

motorboat British  

/ ˈməʊtəˌbəʊt /

noun

1. any boat powered by a motor

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Other Word Forms

• motorboater noun

Etymology

Origin of motorboat

First recorded in 1900–05; motor + boat

Example Sentences

My thoughts flew into turmoil, my instinctive fear of the master taking hold, but as the boat came closer, I saw that it was no canoe but a proper motorboat.

From Literature

Its gray skin was covered with blotches of green-and-brown algae, and scars from years of encounters with motorboats crisscrossed its back.

From Literature

Vaughan had been on the boat with her husband and two children, aged 12 and eight, and had been sunbathing when the motorboat crashed into a sailboat carrying party-goers.

From Barron's

This summer, Carle has continued his research at night, setting out in a motorboat on Mono Lake to catch phalaropes.

From Los Angeles Times

"Its scientific, ecological, cultural importance, whether you are an artist, a poet, wild swimmer, motorboat owner, it's just intertwined in the whole kind of social and ecological fabric of the Lake District," he added.

From BBC