toboggan

American  

[tuh-bog-uhn] / təˈbɒg ən /

noun

1. a long, narrow, flat-bottomed sled made of a thin board curved upward and backward at the front, often with low handrails on the sides, used especially in the sport of coasting over snow or ice.

2. Also called boggin.  Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. a close-fitting knit cap worn in cold weather.

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verb (used without object)

1. to use, or coast on, a toboggan.

2. to fall rapidly, as prices or one's fortune.

toboggan British  

/ təˈbɒɡən /

noun

1. a light wooden frame on runners used for sliding over snow and ice

2. a long narrow sledge made of a thin board curved upwards and backwards at the front

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verb

1. (intr) to ride on a toboggan

Usage

What does toboggan mean? A toboggan is an old-timey sled. One kind is long and narrow with a curved-up front, and another kind has a flat platform on top of runners. Toboggan can also be used as a verb in exactly the same way that sled can be used as a verb, as in let’s go tobogganing. However, it can also mean to fall rapidly, especially in the context of nonphysical things like stock prices. Example: We found Grandpa’s old toboggan in the attic and rode it down the hill in the snow today—that thing really flies!

Other Word Forms

• tobogganer
  noun
• tobogganist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of toboggan

First recorded in 1820–30; from Canadian French tabagane, from Maliseet-Passamaquoddy tʰapákən, Mi'kmaq topaĝan (equivalent to unrecorded Proto-Algonquian weta·pye·- “to drag a cord” + -kan- “instrument for”)

Explanation

A toboggan is a type of sled that's light and thin. When you use such a sled, you're tobogganing. If you live somewhere that gets snow in the winter, you might already know what a toboggan is: a thin sled with curving boards in the front that originated with Native Canadians. Tobogganing is a popular winter sport and a lot of fun. Tobogganing sometimes refers to luging, which is a very similar winter sport. You can go extremely fast on a toboggan. If you ride a toboggan well, maybe you'll end up in the Winter Olympics.

Example Sentences

Maine is known for its cold weather, but a popular pond hockey tournament was postponed, some ski resorts curtailed operations and organizers even put the kibosh on Saturday’s events at the National Toboggan Championships.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 3, 2023

An attraction like Ye Old Mill, built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1915 and still operating at the Minnesota State Fair, remains true to the old principles.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 29, 2019

National Toboggan Championships remains intact, ice or no ice, no matter who is racing.

From New York Times • Jan. 17, 2017

Its fanciful carousel, a 1926 Philadelphia Toboggan Co. model, still includes the original wooden carousel horses and chariot seats.

From Washington Times • Jun. 7, 2014

So Bear invented Toboggan, Which is a blessing to young man, And the fair maiden by his side, For both enjoy the pleasant ride.

From Poems of James McIntyre by McIntyre, James