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rowboat

American  
[roh-boht] / ˈroʊˌboʊt /

noun

  1. a small boat designed for rowing. row.

rowboat British  
/ ˈrəʊˌbəʊt /

noun

  1. Also called (in Britain and other countries): rowing boat.  a small boat propelled by one or more pairs of oars

"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

Etymology

Origin of rowboat

First recorded in 1530–40; row 2 + boat

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Behind, at some distance, is a rowboat with whalers.

From The Wall Street Journal

There the little rowboats would sit like Russian nesting dolls, until morning came and it was time to fish once more.

From Literature

American soldiers, dressed like fishermen in a clothing catalog, floated below in rowboats.

From Literature

The rowboat was pulled up the side of a towering wall of water.

From Literature

Kids cannon-balled off the sides and rocked it like a rowboat.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.