showboat
showboat Lexical Profile
showboat Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A person, especially an athlete or public figure, who behaves in an ostentatious or flamboyant manner to attract attention and admiration.
"The coach benched the rookie for being a showboat instead of passing the ball to his open teammates."
American A river steamboat, particularly on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers in the 19th and early 20th centuries, equipped with a theater and a resident troupe of performers to stage plays and musical entertainments at riverfront towns.
"Families from across the county gathered at the levee whenever the brightly painted showboat docked for an evening performance."
• verb
North American To perform or behave in an ostentatious, flamboyant manner intended to attract attention or admiration (especially in sports or politics).
"The sprinter began to showboat just before the finish line, nearly costing his team the gold medal."
• Rhymes for showboat
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in 19th-century American English as a compound of 'show' and 'boat', referring to the flamboyant floating theaters that traveled the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The figurative sense of a person who shows off emerged in the mid-20th century, inspired by the loud, attention-grabbing arrival of these vessels.