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Definition of showboat
1 : a river steamship containing a theater and carrying a troupe of actors to give plays at river communities
2 : one who tries to attract attention by conspicuous behavior
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Examples of showboat in a Sentence
The fans like him, but the other players think he's a showboat.
Recent Examples of showboat from the Web
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One fascinating figure is Johnny Jenkins, a local guitar hero in Redding’s hometown, Macon, Ga., who takes Redding under his wing — opinions vary widely as to whether Jenkins was an underappreciated genius or an overrated showboat.
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But Trump supporters see Comey as a grandstanding showboat who politicized the Russia probe -- a total nut job.
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But a performance — even one as showboat-y as this — does not a movie make.
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And the Omura’s keeps a relatively low profile compared to showboats like humpbacks, which make eye-catching leaps out of the water.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'showboat'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of showboat
1869
showboat
Definition of showboat
intransitive verb
: to behave in a conspicuous or ostentatious manner : show off
showboater
nounExamples of showboat in a Sentence
She was showboating for the cameras when she tripped and fell.
the gymnast was showboating for the cameras when she lost her balance and fell
First Known Use of showboat
1951
SHOWBOAT Defined for English Language Learners
showboat
playDefinition of showboat for English Language Learners
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: a large boat that has a theater and a group of performers and that gives plays at towns and cities along a river
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: a person (such as an athlete) who behaves or performs in a way that is meant to attract the attention of a lot of people
showboat
Definition of showboat for English Language Learners
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: to behave or perform in a way that is meant to attract the attention of a lot of people
SHOWBOAT Defined for Kids
showboat
playDefinition of showboat for Students
: a river steamboat used as a traveling theater
Learn More about showboat
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See words that rhyme with showboat Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for showboat Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about showboat
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