steamboat

IPA/ˈstiːmbəʊt/
KK[stˈimbˌot]IPA/ˈstiːmbəʊt/

steamboat — noun

  • steamboatsingular
  • steamboatsplural

1. A boat whose engine heats water to create steam, which turns a wheel or propelle

1.nounB2
Definition

A boat whose engine heats water to create steam, which turns a wheel or propeller and moves the boat forward, used on American rivers during the 1800s to carry people and goods.

Example

The old steamboat carried passengers and goods along the Mississippi River every week.

collocation: carry passengers / goods along [river]

Takeshi found a photograph of a steamboat with two tall smokestacks in his grandfather's album.

Common collocations
  • old / historic / paddle-wheel / Mississippi steamboat
  • ride / travel on / board a steamboat
  • steamboat captain / deck / whistle / race / era
Synonyms
  • steamship

    Usually larger than a steamboat and built for ocean travel rather than rivers.

  • paddle steamer

    A specific type of steamboat with large paddle wheels on the sides or at the back.

  • steamer

    Informal short form; can refer to the same vessel but also means a device for steaming food.

Usage Note

Often used with a river name as a modifier, such as 'Mississippi steamboat' or 'Ohio River steamboat.'

Common Mistakes

We took a steamboat from Taipei to Kaohsiung.
We took a steamboat from New Orleans up the Mississippi River.
Steamboats are historical vessels associated with 19th-century rivers, especially in the U.S., not modern transport.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words describe steam-powered vessels from the 1800s, but they differ in scale, design, and usage. A steamship is generally larger and built for ocean travel — think of transatlantic crossings rather than river journeys. A paddle steamer is a specific type of steamboat with large rotating wheels on the sides or at the rear, often used in shallow rivers where propellers would be less effective. Steamer is the most casual term — it can refer to any steam vessel in everyday speech, but it also means a kitchen appliance for cooking food. For example: 'The paddle steamer churned up the river with its creaking wheels.' 'The steamship carried mail across the Atlantic in two weeks.' 'Let's take a steamer up the Hudson, if the old boat is still running.'

steamship ↗paddle steamersteamer ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • by steamboat
  • steamboat journey
  • steamboat travel
  • steamboat race

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Steamboat is a compound of two Old English words: 'steam' (stēam, meaning vapor or hot mist) and 'bāt' (meaning a small vessel for water travel). The word first appeared in English in the late 1700s, around the time inventors like Robert Fulton were building the first commercially successful steam-powered riverboats. Before this, boats relied on wind (sail) or muscle (oars).