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

Michael Buzzell saw the value in pontoon boats early. —Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026

Hourly and daily rentals include pontoons, fishing boats, ski boats, kayaks and other water toys. —Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 20 Feb. 2026

Find pontoons, bowriders, surf boats, wakeboards, personal watercraft and more, plus a marine retail display. —Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Feb. 2026

Somebody was evacuating the karaoke machine on a pontoon made of wood and inflatable toys. —Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 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