gunboat

[ guhn-boht ]

noun

1. a small, armed warship of light draft, used in ports where the water is shallow.
2. any small ship carrying mounted guns. gun.

gunboat

/ ˈɡʌnˌbəʊt /

noun

1. a small shallow-draft vessel carrying mounted guns and used by coastal patrols, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of gunboat¹

First recorded in 1770–80; gun ¹ + boat

Example Sentences

One day, driven by curiosity, Asmaa walked to the nearby beach, where she marvelled at the sight of Gazans frolicking in the waves, despite the ominous presence of Israeli gunboats patrolling offshore.

From BBC

And it is the sea from which, Zouahra says, a shell from an Israeli gunboat brought death to her husband.

From BBC

Gaza's fishermen are regularly shot at by Israeli gunboats if they venture farther in the Mediterranean Sea than Israel permits.

From Salon

As the crisis unfolded, Commodore Joshua Barney commanded a group of small American gunboats—called a flotilla—to fend off the British warships.

From Literature

China's coast guard said earlier it had taken "necessary measures" to drive away the gunboat out of the Scarborough Shoal after it ignored repeated warnings.

From Reuters

Related Words

• battleship
• corvette
• cutter
• destroyer
• frigate
• submarine