Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

steamboat

play
noun steam·boat \ˈstēm-ˌbōt\

Definition of steamboat

  1. :  a boat driven by steam power; specifically :  a shallow-draft vessel used on inland waterways

See steamboat defined for English-language learners

See steamboat defined for kids

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

alt-5926e94cc0e45
'Climate' Change
alt-59245a1009b19
Trending: Brennan: Concerns of Russian Efforts to 'suborn'
image1694077559
Which Is The Correct Plural Spelling? (It's a Trick Question)
winning-words-from-the-national-spelling-bee-logo
Winning Words from Scripps Spelling Bee Quiz

1785

First Known Use of steamboat

1785

STEAMBOAT Defined for English Language Learners

steamboat

play
noun steam·boat \ˈstēm-ˌbōt\

Definition of steamboat for English Language Learners

  • : a boat that is powered by steam

STEAMBOAT Defined for Kids

steamboat

play
noun steam·boat \ˈstēm-ˌbōt\

Definition of steamboat for Students

  1. :  a boat powered by steam

Learn More about steamboat

  1. See words that rhyme with steamboat Spanish Central: Translation of steamboat Nglish: Translation of steamboat for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of steamboat for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about steamboat

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up steamboat? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

concatenate

play

to link together in a series or chain

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. suborn "to induce secretly to do an unlawful thing"

  2. nutjob 'a mentally unbalanced person'

  3. collusion 'Secret cooperation for an illegal or dishonest purpose'

  4. counsel Is it 'council' or 'counsel'?

  5. witch hunt Lookups spiked after Trump used the word in a tweet

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

steamboat

WORD GAMES

Take a 3-minute break and test your skills!

  • winning-words-from-the-national-spelling-bee-logo
  • Which is the correct spelling of the winning word from 1988?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-5926e94cc0e45
'Climate' Change

No denying this word's history

alt-5925b73b3a62e
'Author' is a Verb

Beyond the mere act of writing

alt-592708149cf54
Don't Catch 'Flack' for Using 'Flak'

How a word for antiaircraft guns came to refer to PR pro

image1694077559
Plural Words With Multiple Spellings

Multiple spellings for "multiple" words.

Ask the Editors

decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

serial-comma
The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

winning-words-from-the-national-spelling-bee-logo
Winning Words from Scripps Spelling Bee Quiz

Can you outdo past winners of the Spelling Bee?

Take the quiz
peter-bruegel-tower-of-babel-painting
Where in the World? A Quiz

Do you know what languages these words come from?

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game