steamboat

[steem-boht]

noun

1. a steam-driven vessel, especially a small one or one used on inland waters.

steamboat

/ ˈstiːmˌbəʊt /

noun

1. a boat powered by a steam engine

Word History and Origins

Origin of steamboat¹

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85; steam + boat

Example Sentences

As America expanded by building canals, steamboats and early railroads, demand soared for wage labor in factories, transportation and among office workers like clerks.

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And then finally somebody shouted and we all looked to see the steamboat towing the pontoon boat up the river.

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The idea, in its early conceptions, included much of what would later make its way to Disneyland — a train, a steamboat and less detailed versions of Main Street and a Frontierland.

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The charge is a pre-Civil War statute colloquially known as seaman’s manslaughter that was designed to hold steamboat captains and crew responsible for maritime disasters.

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The classic cartoon stars the beloved mascot as the whistling, rascally pilot of a steamboat floating down a river.

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Related Words

• barge 
• canoe 
• catamaran 
• craft 
• dinghy 
• gondola 
• raft 
• sailboat 
• schooner 
• ship 
• yacht