pontoon

1 of 2

noun (1)

pon·​toon pän-ˈtün 

1

: a flat-bottomed boat (such as a lighter)

especially : a flat-bottomed boat or portable float used in building a floating temporary bridge

2

: a float especially of a seaplane

pontoon

2 of 2

noun (2)

British

: blackjack sense 1

Examples of pontoon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Patagonia Lake State Park Length: 1.5-mile hike or a pontoon boat tour. —Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 18 Dec. 2024

What To Know According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Williams fell into the water from his pontoon boat near a dock at Kowaliga's Restaurant in Elmore County. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024

Williams, 61, fell from his pontoon boat on Lake Martin in Elmore County on Sunday evening and his body was found 90 minutes later, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said. —Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 16 Dec. 2024

Virginia man dies on Old Hickory Lake A Virginia man drowned Sept. 12 on Old Hickory Lake in Wilson County during an outing on a pontoon boat with family and friends in the Spencer Creek area, according to the TWRA. —Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 17 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

French ponton, from Old French, from Latin ponton-, ponto

Noun (2)

perhaps alteration of vingt-et-un

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1676, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

circa 1917, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pontoon

• pontoon bridge
• pontoon plane

Kids Definition

pontoon

noun

pon·​toon

pän-ˈtün

1

: a flat-bottomed boat

2

: a float used in building a floating bridge

3

: a float of an airplane

Etymology

Noun

from French ponton "a floating bridge, punt," from Latin ponton-, ponto (same meaning), from pont-, pons "bridge" — related to punt entry 1