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

For on-the-water action, kayak at Independence Lake Preserve or rent pontoons and paddleboards at Caples Lake, near Kirkwood Resort. —AFAR Media, 7 Nov. 2025

Tiny shells jutted from both pontoons seven months later. —Calmatters, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2025

On Saturday, the makeshift vessel of wooden planks on pontoons with a wooden rudder, beached in the choppy surf off the Martin County island, prompting the sheriff’s office to issue a statement on social media. —David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025

That misses the point of a pontoon boat, not to mention living on a nice piece of lakeshore. —Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 25 Oct. 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