riverboat

noun

riv·​er·​boat ˈri-vər-ˌbōt How to pronounce riverboat (audio)
: a boat for use on a river

Examples of riverboat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web If Senate Bill 62 passes, riverboats with as few as 40 passengers, rather than boats with 100 passengers, will be eligible to sell alcohol. Rebecca Grapevine, The Courier-Journal, 21 Jan. 2024 Bourbon on boats The Senate unanimously passed a measure from Sen. Gex Williams, R-Verona, to increase the number of riverboats that can serve bourbon. Rebecca Grapevine, The Courier-Journal, 21 Jan. 2024 After the captain and Pickett attempted to persuade the rowdy group to move, Pickett untied the boat to make way for the riverboat, witnesses said, which prompted several of the private boaters to attack, Albert said. Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 9 Aug. 2023 As the tension escalated, a group of pontoon boat passengers confronted the riverboat crew member, ultimately leading to a violent fight. Jericka Duncan, CBS News, 8 Aug. 2023 Another jumps off the riverboat, swimming to join in. Jeremy Gray | , al, 7 Aug. 2023 Damien Pickett, the deckhand assaulted in last month’s viral riverboat brawl in Montgomery, Alabama, is speaking out for the first time since the incident occurred. Alexis Jones, Peoplemag, 26 Sep. 2023 The arrests came days after a group of white boaters attacked a Black captain of a riverboat cruise on Saturday. Remy Tumin, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Aug. 2023 Abercrombie & Kent will launch its fifth Egyptian riverboat to cruise the Nile in fall 2025 — and two onboard suites will have private decks with hot tubs. Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 16 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'riverboat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of riverboat was in 1565

Dictionary Entries Near riverboat

Cite this Entry

“Riverboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riverboat. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

riverboat

noun
riv·​er·​boat -ˌbōt How to pronounce riverboat (audio)
: a boat used (as for carrying passengers or freight) on a river

More from Merriam-Webster on riverboat

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