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rowing boat

American  
[roh-ing] / ˈroʊ ɪŋ /

noun

British.
  1. rowboat.


rowing boat British  
/ ˈrəʊɪŋ /

noun

  1. Usual US and Canadian word: rowboat.  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 rowing boat

First recorded in 1810–20

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.

See Examples For:

According to World Rowing, the earliest representation of a rowing boat was found in Finland and dated back to 5,800BC, while the oar was "considered to be the most important invention before the wheel".

From BBC Jan. 8, 2026

But when the tide returns, the only transport is a small ferry that Murphy described as “a rowing boat with a little engine on the back.”

From Seattle Times Jan. 22, 2022

With mounting excitement, we clambered on to a ferry only modestly upgraded from the rowing boat of Coley’s day – the Beulah, a small boat with an outboard motor.

From The Guardian Jun. 17, 2020

“We’ve poisoned it all,” mourns Davide Casati, an aged boatman who treats Brunetti to languorous tours of the floating islands on the graceful, gondola-like rowing boat he built with his own hands.

From New York Times Nov. 29, 2017

He watched Thiazi, in giant form, lumber out of his keep and walk across the shingle to a rowing boat bigger than the largest whale.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman

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