gunboat

noun

gun·​boat ˈgən-ˌbōt How to pronounce gunboat (audio)
: an armed ship of shallow draft

Examples of gunboat 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.
For example, the famous instance of Jefferson refusing to spend money appropriated by Congress for gunboats. Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 18 Feb. 2025 Thomas Jefferson, for example, declined to use money set aside for gunboats in the early 1800s. Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2025 In 1990, Papua New Guinea blockaded the islands with gunboats, but the BRA’s numbers swelled nonetheless. Sean Williams, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024 This episode, too, touched upon my family: in 1918, my father, a member of the Royal Naval Reserve, boarded a gunboat on its way to join American, French, and other Allied contingents to fight against Bolshevik forces in Murmansk, one of the towns featured in Taub’s piece. The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for gunboat

Word History

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gunboat was in 1777

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Cite this Entry

“Gunboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gunboat. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

gunboat

noun
gun·​boat ˈgən-ˌbōt How to pronounce gunboat (audio)
: a small lightly armed ship for use in shallow waters

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