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, who was wearing a flotation device at the time of the crash, was found safe by sheriff’s office rescuers while sitting atop one of the plane’s pontoons. —Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 10 June 2026

But as passengers tried to assist others back on board, strong winds pushed the pontoon farther away from the man in the water, separating him from the group. —Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 9 June 2026

On the kind of warm, bright afternoon that Michigan boaters wait all year for, Malik Amine and his brother readied their family’s pontoon boat for the summer. —Dee-Ann Durbin, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026

There’s Malamala Beach Club on a private island, as well as Seventh Heaven on a floating pontoon in dreamy blue waters, both only accessible by boat. —Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 8 June 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