sponson
noun
spon·son
| \ ˈspän(t)-sən
\
\
Definition of sponson
1a
: a projection (such as a gun platform) from the side of a ship or a tank
b
: an air chamber along a watercraft (such as a canoe) to increase stability and buoyancy
2
: a light air-filled structure or a winglike part protruding from the hull of a seaplane to steady it on water
Examples of sponson in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That will allow salvage crews to gradually lift the ship one deck at a time, as water is pumped out and compressed air pumped in to some 30 sponsons attached to its side. — Barbara Peterson, Popular Mechanics, "Here's How the Costa Concordia is Emerging from the Sea," 14 July 2014 Jones, a veteran boat racer himself, points out that the only original part of the boat are the sponsons. — Nathan Joyce, The Seattle Times, "Andrew Tate, who won at Seafair as a rookie last year, seeks an encore Sunday," 5 Aug. 2017 The boats came in all shapes and sizes — like the 10-horsepower shovel nose and the pickle fork with two sponsons jutting out front. — Hasan Dudar, Detroit Free Press, "Do they still float? Vintage racing boats come back to Detroit," 15 July 2017 Runabouts are boats with a hull that resembles that of a rowboat, and hydroplanes are faster and have sponsons that reduce surface area, according to show organizer Ed Zaleski, who was displaying his 1969 runabout named Challenger. — Hasan Dudar, Detroit Free Press, "Do they still float? Vintage racing boats come back to Detroit," 15 July 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sponson.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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