Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A boat with a flat bottom and square ends used for transporting freight on inland waterways.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A flat-bottomed boat of considerable size, roughly made of strong timbers, for floating merchandise, etc., down the Mississippi and other western rivers.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A boat with a flat bottom and square ends; -- used for the transportation of bulky freight, especially in shallow waters.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A boxy, flat-bottomed boat used for carrying livestock, freight, and people on rivers.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a flatbottom boat for carrying heavy loads (especially on canals)

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • I recalled the flatboat captain's warning that Old Thares would smell far worse than the timber fires had.

    Shaman's Crossing Hobb, Robin 2005

  • Furthermore, the craft in which the visitor paddled out to the flatboat was the very one, as identified by Jethro, which, in some way, had been recaptured from the ranger.

    The Phantom of the River Edward Sylvester Ellis 1878

  • The flatboat is the second of four projects identified as essential to the long-term growth of the Netherland Inn complex.

    Kingsport Times News - Daily 5 2009

  • Mr. Grady called a halt to their travel well before sundown, and they poled the flatboat to the shore.

    Judge deveraux The Scent of Jasmine 2011

  • Grady is to bring the flatboat with more supplies, and we leave early tomorrow.

    Judge deveraux The Scent of Jasmine 2011

  • A central character in the tale is Reuben Kemper, who came down the Mississippi from the Ohio Territory in a merchandise-laden flatboat, accompanied by a business partner, John Smith.

    When the Bayou Broke Away Stuart Ferguson 2011

  • Cay was in bed asleep, dreaming about being on the flatboat and floating down the calm, peaceful Florida river.

    Judge deveraux The Scent of Jasmine 2011

  • In the third week, they pulled the flatboat half out of the water and began a trek inland to see some ruins that Mr. Grady had heard about.

    Judge deveraux The Scent of Jasmine 2011

  • She staggered backward but managed to hold on to it even though she hit the side of the little building that stood at the far end of the flatboat.

    Judge deveraux The Scent of Jasmine 2011

  • “A few months on a flatboat in such splendor will give you time to think and to remember.”

    Judge deveraux The Scent of Jasmine 2011

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