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

Explore more than 75 boats, including pontoons, deck boats and bow riders from more than a dozen top brands. —Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025

Ski Patrol rents ski boats and pontoons ($225 for two hours) as well as jet skis ($180 for two hours). —Jen Murphy, Outside Online, 22 May 2025

Under Canvas Grand Canyon is well situated near the Mather Point and Grandview Point lookouts, while Under Canvas Lake Powell-Grand Staircase is a great launch spot for those looking to take a pontoon boat tour through the breathtaking slot canyons. —Mackenzie Schmidt, People.com, 28 June 2025

The tree as a whole matches the seed in scale: the leaves grow up to 33 feet long, the length of a pontoon boat. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 June 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