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

The man’s actions didn’t stop the pontoon from going under. —Sam Gillette, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025

Hop off your pontoon boat or wade in from the sandy beach at Pines Recreation Area. —Jennifer Stewart Kornegay, Southern Living, 30 Aug. 2025

Here, a pontoon boat included in the sale makes for long, sunny days out on the water catching yellowtail kingfish, bream, and snapper—all local to the area. —Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 27 Aug. 2025

Jocassee Lake Tours has kayaks to rent, and Electric Sun has canoes, paddleboards, and pontoon boats, as well as kayaks. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 23 Aug. 2025

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