keelboat

noun

keel·​boat ˈkēl-ˌbōt How to pronounce keelboat (audio)
1
: a shallow covered keeled riverboat that is usually rowed, poled, or towed and that is used for freight
2
: a keeled sailboat

Examples of keelboat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Typically 60 feet long and 8 feet wide, capable of bearing 40 tons, the keelboat was specially designed for the western rivers. Boyce Upholt, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 June 2024 In a dominating victory in the three-person Soling keelboat at the 1972 Olympics, Melges unseated the sport’s greatest sailor, Paul Elvstrom, who had won four Olympic Gold medals. Chris Museler, New York Times, 22 May 2023 Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The main sail of the fiberglass J/24 keelboat coursing through bay waters just off Treasure Island flitted in the wind with a nervousness that told 2016 Olympics mariner Caleb Paine what was coming next. Julie Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Apr. 2023 One-day keelboat rentals for experienced sailors from $85. Erin E. Williams, Washington Post, 9 June 2022 The club’s monthly open houses welcome guests for free half-hour sails aboard keelboats or dinghies with a club member. Jackie Burrell, The Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2019 And the weekend course offering is top-notch, with private and group beginner lessons, intermediate classes, keelboat workshops and more. New York Times, 21 Aug. 2019 And luckily, the heavy ballast below a keelboat’s hull makes them pretty hard to capsize. Popular Mechanics, 18 May 2018 On May 23, 1804, two days after the party had departed the frontier outpost of St. Charles, the 55-foot keelboat struck a log. Gary Garth, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1695, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of keelboat was in 1695

Dictionary Entries Near keelboat

Cite this Entry

“Keelboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keelboat. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

keelboat

noun
keel·​boat ˈkē(ə)l-ˌbōt How to pronounce keelboat (audio)
: a shallow covered riverboat with a keel that is usually rowed, poled, or towed and is used to carry freight

More from Merriam-Webster on keelboat

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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