1
: a shallow covered keeled riverboat that is usually rowed, poled, or towed and that is used for freight
2
: a keeled sailboat
Examples of keelboat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In a dominating victory in the three-person Soling keelboat at the 1972 Olympics, Melges unseated the sport’s greatest sailor, Paul Elvstrom, who had won four Olympic Gold medals.
—
Chris Museler, New York Times, 22 May 2023
Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The main sail of the fiberglass J/24 keelboat coursing through bay waters just off Treasure Island flitted in the wind with a nervousness that told 2016 Olympics mariner Caleb Paine what was coming next.
—Julie Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Apr. 2023
One-day keelboat rentals for experienced sailors from $85.
—Erin E. Williams, Washington Post, 9 June 2022
The club’s monthly open houses welcome guests for free half-hour sails aboard keelboats or dinghies with a club member.
—Jackie Burrell, The Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2019
And the weekend course offering is top-notch, with private and group beginner lessons, intermediate classes, keelboat workshops and more.
—New York Times, 21 Aug. 2019
And luckily, the heavy ballast below a keelboat’s hull makes them pretty hard to capsize.
—Popular Mechanics, 18 May 2018
On May 23, 1804, two days after the party had departed the frontier outpost of St. Charles, the 55-foot keelboat struck a log.
—Gary Garth, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2017
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Chris Museler, New York Times, 22 May 2023
Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The main sail of the fiberglass J/24 keelboat coursing through bay waters just off Treasure Island flitted in the wind with a nervousness that told 2016 Olympics mariner Caleb Paine what was coming next.
—Julie Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Apr. 2023
One-day keelboat rentals for experienced sailors from $85.
—Erin E. Williams, Washington Post, 9 June 2022
The club’s monthly open houses welcome guests for free half-hour sails aboard keelboats or dinghies with a club member.
—Jackie Burrell, The Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2019
And the weekend course offering is top-notch, with private and group beginner lessons, intermediate classes, keelboat workshops and more.
—New York Times, 21 Aug. 2019
And luckily, the heavy ballast below a keelboat’s hull makes them pretty hard to capsize.
—Popular Mechanics, 18 May 2018
On May 23, 1804, two days after the party had departed the frontier outpost of St. Charles, the 55-foot keelboat struck a log.
—Gary Garth, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2017
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'keelboat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1695, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near keelboat
Cite this Entry
“Keelboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keelboat. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
keelboat
noun
keel·boat
ˈkē(ə)l-ˌbōt 
: a shallow covered riverboat with a keel that is usually rowed, poled, or towed and is used to carry freight
More from Merriam-Webster on keelboat
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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about keelboat
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