noun
- small flat-bottomed boats used in East and Southeast Asia, typically propelled by oars or a single sail
Usage: nautical; plural of sampan
Examples
- The fishermen loaded their nets into the sampans before dawn.
- Dozens of sampans crowded the harbor in Hong Kong.
- Traditional sampans are still used for transportation along the river.
- The family lived on their sampan, moving from port to port.
- Tourists can hire sampans for sightseeing tours of the bay.
- The wooden sampans bobbed gently in the calm water.