showboat

noun show·boat \ ˈshō-ˌbōt \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

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

See showboat defined for English-language learners

See showboat defined for kids

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

That would be the bellowing showboat Khalif, who spews venom into the faces of stone-faced police officers in public, knowing they are prohibited from even twitching.

— stu bykofsky, Philly.com, "City protest directive surrenders to Asa Khalif," 28 Aug. 2017
The city owns the showboat and does not fly a confederate flag.

— david bailey, Detroit Free Press, "Showboat in Michigan to lose its Robert E. Lee moniker after petition," 17 Aug. 2017
To be sure, Newton’s showboat style puts some off – and his looks are not ones that most people can, or should try to, pull off.

— cristina bolling, charlotteobserver, "On SI’s list of the 50 most fashionable athletes, did Cam get what he deserves?," 18 July 2017
To be sure, for Donald Trump to call anyone a showboat is pretty rich, but . .

— vanityfair.com, "The Trump-Comey Cage Match Reveals the President’s Greatest Weakness," 8 June 2017
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.

— alan light, New York Times, "Soul of the ’60s: Otis Redding’s Short Life and Long Reach," 2 June 2017
Trump and his supporters see Comey as a political showboat who was obstructing his presidency, while the left are starting to see Comey as a political outsider who fell victim to obstruction of justice.

— the tylt, AL.com, "Is James Comey a hero or a 'nut job'?," 19 May 2017
But Trump supporters see Comey as a grandstanding showboat who politicized the Russia probe -- a total nut job.

— the tylt, cleveland.com, "Is James Comey a hero or a 'nut job'?," 19 May 2017
But a performance — even one as showboat-y as this — does not a movie make.

— michael o'sullivan, The Denver Post, "Lackluster “Gold” centers on a showboat-y performance," 27 Jan. 2017

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

1839

showboat

verb

Definition of showboat

intransitive verb

:to behave in a conspicuous or ostentatious manner :show off

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showboater

noun

See showboat defined for English-language learners

Examples 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

Recent Examples of showboat from the Web

Irving, a former MVP in the showboating All-Star Game, might think the championship window has closed here.

— bill livingston, cleveland.com, "Kyrie Irving and his runaway ego imperil Cleveland Cavaliers: Bill Livingston (photos, video)," 24 July 2017
But in and around that, Carrington caught some passes on the field, showboated often, and graduated from college.

— john canzano, OregonLive.com, "Canzano: Oregon Ducks coach Willie Taggart nailed it -- dead, solid, perfect," 15 July 2017

First Known Use of showboat

1937

showboat Synonyms

Synonyms

act up, clown (around), fool around, horse around, hotdog, monkey (around), cut up, show off, skylark

Related Words

carry on, misbehave; roughhouse; caper, cavort, disport, frisk, frolic, gambol, lark, rollick, romp; carouse, maffick, revel, roar, wassail

SHOWBOAT Defined for English Language Learners

showboat

noun

Definition of showboat for English Language Learners

: a large boat that has a theater and a group of performers and that gives plays at towns and cities along a river
: 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