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

Hannah Smith, 22, fell off a pontoon boat and was dragged into the propeller while on vacation in the Bahamas on May 12, according to AL.com. —Toria Sheffield, People.com, 24 May 2025

Rent pontoon boats to tour the lush 38-mile Inland Waterway that ends in Lake Huron. —Outside Online, 19 May 2025

Located in Topton, North Carolina, right in Nantahala National Forest, the lake is known for its refreshing water and pristine shorelines—both of which can be explored from the comfort of a pontoon boat (which can carry up to 14 people). —Lydia Mansel, Southern Living, 12 Apr. 2025

Editors’ Picks As the helicopter lost power and began to descend over the water, the pilot inflated pontoons that kept the aircraft upright in the water. —Patrick McGeehan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 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