pontoon

[ pon-toon ]

See synonyms for pontoon on Thesaurus.com

noun

Military. a boat or some other floating structure used as one of the supports for a temporary bridge over a river.
a float for a derrick, landing stage, etc.

Nautical. a float for raising a sunken or deeply laden vessel in the water; a camel or caisson.
a seaplane float.

Origin of pontoon

1585–95; <French ponton<Latin pontōn- (stem of pontō) flat-bottomed boat, punt

Also pon·ton [pon-tn]. /ˈpɒn tn/.

Other definitions for pontoon (2 of 2)

pontoon²

[ pon-toon ]

nounBritish.

the card game twenty-one.

Origin of pontoon

1915–20; alteration of French vingt-et-un twenty-one

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pontoon in a sentence

Detectives and city workers found the remains while they were aboard an amphibious vehicle with pontoons.
Shannan Gilbert Body Likely Found, New York Police Say | Christine Pelisek | December 13, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
"Floating" bridges are roadways carried on pontoons moored in a stream.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 | Various
Floating Bridges, the roadway being carried on pontoons moored in the stream.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 | Various
Others carried a great number of small collapsible boats, which are used as pontoons in crossing rivers.
Ways of War and Peace | Delia Austrian
Engineers hurried up with pontoons, strung them across the Appomattox, and Grant began the pursuit.
The Boys of '61 | Charles Carleton Coffin.

Following the shelling of Fredericksburg, on December 11th, the Union army began to cross on pontoons.
Historic Fredericksburg | John T. Goolrick

British Dictionary definitions for pontoon (1 of 2)

pontoon¹

/ (pɒnˈtuːn) /

noun

- a watertight float or vessel used where buoyancy is required in water, as in supporting a bridge, in salvage work, or where a temporary or mobile structure is required in military operations
- (as modifier): a pontoon bridge
nautical a float, often inflatable, for raising a vessel in the water

Origin of pontoon

C17: from French ponton, from Latin pontō punt, floating bridge, from pōns bridge

British Dictionary definitions for pontoon (2 of 2)

pontoon²

/ (pɒnˈtuːn) /

noun

Also called: (esp US) twenty-one, vingt-et-un a gambling game in which players try to obtain card combinations worth 21 points
(in this game) the combination of an ace with a ten or court card when dealt to a player as his first two cards

Origin of pontoon

C20: probably an alteration of French vingt-et-un, literally: twenty-one

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

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