|
|
steam·boat
 steamboat
|
|
- pronunciation:
- stim
bot
- features:
- Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition: |
A steamboat is a boat that runs on the power of steam. Steam is a gas that is created when water becomes very hot. Steam has the power to make things move. On a steamboat, steam from a boiler makes either a large wheel or propellers turn around and around in the water. Paddles attached to the large wheel push the water away and make the boat move forward. Blades of the propellers do the same thing. Steamboats were common in the nineteenth century, but there are few steamboats now. Boats use different types of power nowadays.
People used to travel in steamboats up and down major rivers like the Mississippi and Missouri. Steamboats also carried cargo from place to place.Steamboats were used on rivers, lakes, and bays, but they were not built to be used on the sea. Stronger and more powerful "steamships" were used on the ocean, especially in the later part of the nineteenth century.
|
|
|