noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/pɒnˈtuːn/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -uːn
CMU ARPABET:P AA0 N T UW1 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A flat-bottomed boat or other floating structure used as a buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A bridge with floating supports.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: pontoon bridge
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A box used to raise a sunken vessel.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Near-synonyms: caisson, camel, sea camel
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: caisson, camel, sea camel
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A float of a seaplane.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
A lighter or barge used for loading or unloading ships.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
A card game in which the object is to obtain cards whose value adds up to, or nearly to, 21 but not exceed it.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Topics: card-games, games
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: vingt-et-un
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
a float supporting a seaplane
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: float
8
noun
Meaning 8
(nautical) a floating structure (as a flat-bottomed boat) that serves as a dock or to support a bridge
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: barge, flatboat, hoy, lighter
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French ponton, from Old French ponton, from Latin pontō, pontōnem (“ferryboat”), from pōns (“bridge”).
Probably from vingt-un, an obsolete variant of vingt-et-un (“twenty-one”), from French.
Across languages
Translations
41 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
argsh
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Belarusian:
панто́н
(pantón)
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Bulgarian:
понто́н
(pontón)
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Chinese Mandarin:
浮筒
(fútǒng)
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Czech:
ponton
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Danish:
ponton
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Finnish:
ponttoni
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
French:
ponton
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
French:
flotteur
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
German:
Ponton
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Hungarian:
ponton
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Irish:
pontún
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Japanese:
ポンツーン
(pontsūn)
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Macedonian:
понтон
(ponton)
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Norwegian Bokmål:
pongtong
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Norwegian Bokmål:
flytebrygge
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Norwegian Nynorsk:
pongtong
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Norwegian Nynorsk:
flytebrygge
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Norwegian Nynorsk:
flytebryggje
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Polish:
ponton
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Portuguese:
pontão
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Romanian:
ponton
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Russian:
понто́н
(pontón)
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Slovak:
pontón
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Spanish:
pontón
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Swedish:
ponton
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Ukrainian:
понто́н
(pontón)
— buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage
Bulgarian:
понто́н
(pontón)
— box used to raise a sunken vessel
Finnish:
ponttoni
— box used to raise a sunken vessel
Irish:
pontún
— box used to raise a sunken vessel
Romanian:
ponton
— box used to raise a sunken vessel
Russian:
понто́н
(pontón)
— box used to raise a sunken vessel
Swedish:
ponton
— box used to raise a sunken vessel
Finnish:
ilmatyyny
— float of a seaplane
Irish:
pontún
— float of a seaplane
Māori:
kōrewa
— float of a seaplane
Norwegian Bokmål:
pongtong
— float of a seaplane
Norwegian Nynorsk:
pongtong
— float of a seaplane
Polish:
pływak
— float of a seaplane
Russian:
поплаво́к
(poplavók)
— float of a seaplane
