Meanings
zamboni1
plural zambonis
- Alternative letter-case form of Zamboni.
I bet you a hundred bucks you can't drive the zamboni to the top of those stairs.
2013 April 15, u/shawnaroo, r/hockey (Reddit post)2 more examples
It's nice to see the zambonis are out freshening up the streets, so that the kids can ice-skate to school in northern Minnesota!
2025 December 15, Seth Trobec, “Zamboni on the Streets!”, in Facebook, retrieved 19 Dec 2025A zamboni cuts away the top layer of ice (often 1/16th of an inch or less) using a sharp blade, much like a shaving razor.
2025 or earlier, Pure Hockey staff, “How Does a Zamboni Work?”, in Pure Hockey, retrieved 19 Dec 2025
Zamboni2
plural Zambonis · alternative zamboni
- An ice resurfacing machine used to groom skating rinks, especially for professional use.
For quotations using this term, see Citations:Zamboni.
Synonyms: ice resurfacer, ice resurfacing machine
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn ice resurfacing machine used to groom skating rinks, especially for professional use.
Origin
From the surname of the inventor, Frank J. Zamboni, and his brand of such machines. Zamboni was originally (and may still be) a trademark of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc.. Its use in the general sense is an example of trademark erosion. The surname itself is of Italian origin, as a northeastern dialectal variant (possibly Venetan) of Giambono, comprised of a reduced form of Gianni (from Giovanni (“John”)) + Bono or buono (“good”). Frank Zamboni's father originated from Arsio in Trentino, northern Italy.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with zamboni
Cite this entry
zamboni. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zamboni
“zamboni.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zamboni. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “zamboni,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zamboni.
Source: zamboni on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.