pontoon

1 of 2

noun (1)

pon·​toon pän-ˈtün 

1

: a flat-bottomed boat (such as a lighter)

especially : a flat-bottomed boat or portable float used in building a floating temporary bridge

2

: a float especially of a seaplane

pontoon

2 of 2

noun (2)

British

: blackjack sense 1

Examples of pontoon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Plan to kayak the aqua waters with Ecology Outfitters or rent a pontoon from Elkhart Watersports. —Katy Spratte Joyce, Midwest Living, 31 Mar. 2026

Florida deputies rushed to save the lives of nearly a dozen people who were tossed into the water off the Fort Myers coast when their pontoon boat overturned, and the dramatic rescue was caught on video. —Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026

Show visitors can browse a wide variety of craft, including bowriders, center consoles, deck boats, flats boats, pontoons and surf boats. —Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026

Michael Buzzell saw the value in pontoon boats early. —Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

French ponton, from Old French, from Latin ponton-, ponto

Noun (2)

perhaps alteration of vingt-et-un

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1676, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

circa 1917, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pontoon

• pontoon bridge
• pontoon plane

Rhymes for pontoon

• attune
• baboon
• balloon
• bassoon
• buffoon
• cartoon
• cocoon
• festoon
• gaboon
• harpoon
• immune
• impugn

Kids Definition

pontoon

noun

pon·​toon

pän-ˈtün

1

: a flat-bottomed boat

2

: a float used in building a floating bridge

3

: a float of an airplane

Etymology

Noun

from French ponton "a floating bridge, punt," from Latin ponton-, ponto (same meaning), from pont-, pons "bridge" — related to punt entry 1