1. a steamship or riverboat propelled by one or more large paddle wheels on the sides or stern
Usage: common in historical contexts, especially 19th-century American river transport

Examples

• The paddlewheeler churned up the Mississippi River, its massive wheels churning the water.
• Tourists boarded the historic paddlewheeler for a scenic cruise down the river.
• In the 1800s, paddlewheelers were the primary means of transportation on American waterways.
• The captain steered the paddlewheeler carefully through the narrow channel.
• Mark Twain famously worked as a pilot on a paddlewheeler during his youth.
• The paddlewheeler's distinctive paddle wheels made a rhythmic splashing sound as it moved.