gunboat

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The reaction among our Latin American neighbors to this modern edition of gunboat diplomacy was, to say the least, decidedly negative.

From Salon

As the crisis unfolded, Commodore Joshua Barney commanded a group of small American gunboats—called a flotilla—to fend off the British warships.

From Literature

China's coast guard said earlier it had taken "necessary measures" to drive away the gunboat out of the Scarborough Shoal after it ignored repeated warnings.

From Reuters

And she pictures Harriet Tubman arriving with Union gunboats in the summer of 1863 when those ancestors actually had to wade in the water to their freedom.

From New York Times

At one point they each deployed gunboats as part of an ugly spat over shellfish.

From Washington Post