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Showing results for showboat. Search instead for showboater.
Synonyms

showboat

American  
[shoh-boht] / ˈʃoʊˌboʊt /

noun

  1. a boat, especially a paddle-wheel steamer, used as a traveling theater.

  2. Informal. show-off.

  3. a person, especially an athlete, who performs in an ostentatiously sensational manner calculated to draw attention; show-off.

verb (used without object)

  1. to perform or behave in an outrageous or spectacular manner.

showboat British  
/ ˈʃəʊˌbəʊt /

noun

  1. a paddle-wheel river steamer with a theatre and a repertory company

"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

verb

  1. (intr) to perform or behave in a showy and flamboyant way

"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 showboat

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70; show + 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.

He’s a showboat who dresses like Bootsy Collins and vows he’s the next Phil Collins.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

But Ms Blatterman insists the Mangiones have remained "relatable" and don't "showboat".

From BBC • Dec. 14, 2024

Kemp attributed Anovion’s choice of location to state and local officials, saying “they don’t posture or showboat, and they don’t try to steal credit.”

From Washington Times • Jun. 27, 2023

The list of wealthy people willing to sign up for a chance to buy a showboat aircraft that would smoke all their rivals’ clunkers grew.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 22, 2022

He looked pretty good until he saw me watching him, then he tried to showboat.

From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers

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.