flatboat
noun
flat·boat
ˈflat-ˌbōt 
: a boat with a flat bottom and square ends used for transportation of bulky freight especially in shallow waters
Examples of flatboat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Those who made it safely to New Orleans sold their wares, then sold the warped wood from their flatboats as scrap.
—
Boyce Upholt, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 June 2024
As many as a quarter of all flatboats wrecked en route to New Orleans.
—Boyce Upholt, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 June 2024
Broadhorn was another name for a flatboat — square of bow, shallow of draft and requiring little in the way of construction expertise — because the long, curved steering oars were wielded from atop the cabin and appeared like giant horns at a squint.
—Ben McGrath, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2022
Travel writer Rinker Buck built a flatboat and traveled from Pittsburgh to New Orleans on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
—Monitor Reviewers, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Dec. 2022
See all Example Sentences for flatboat 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Boyce Upholt, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 June 2024
As many as a quarter of all flatboats wrecked en route to New Orleans.
—Boyce Upholt, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 June 2024
Broadhorn was another name for a flatboat — square of bow, shallow of draft and requiring little in the way of construction expertise — because the long, curved steering oars were wielded from atop the cabin and appeared like giant horns at a squint.
—Ben McGrath, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2022
Travel writer Rinker Buck built a flatboat and traveled from Pittsburgh to New Orleans on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
—Monitor Reviewers, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Dec. 2022
See all Example Sentences for flatboat
Dictionary Entries Near flatboat
Cite this Entry
“Flatboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flatboat. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
flatboat
noun
flat·boat
-ˌbōt
: a boat with a flat bottom and square ends used on rivers for carrying freight
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share