1. a shallow riverboat with a keel that is usually rowed, poled, or towed and used for transporting freight
Usage: nautical; historical

Examples

• The keelboat carried supplies up the Missouri River.
• Lewis and Clark used a keelboat during part of their expedition.
• Keelboats were essential for river commerce in the early 1800s.
• The crew poled the keelboat against the current.
• Freight was loaded onto the keelboat at the dock.
• The keelboat’s shallow draft allowed it to navigate in low water.