A punt is a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, designed for use in small rivers and shallow water. Punting is boating in a punt; the punter propels the punt by pushing against the river bed with a pole. Punts were originally built as cargo boats and as platforms for fowling and for fishing, such as angling; whereas now punting is boating for pleasure.

The term punt also refers to smaller versions of regional types of long shore work boats, such as the Deal galley punt, a square-sterned, lapstrake open-boat rigged with a single dipping lugsail, used for salvage and rescue work off a beach. In coastal communities, punt refers to any small clinker-built, open-stem, general-purpose boat. In Canada, the term punt refers to any small, flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, regardless of navigational purpose, building material, or means of propulsion. In Australia, the term punt is used to refer to cable ferries. In Maine, Punt can be used interchangeably with dinghy.

A traditional river punt is a wooden boat with no keel, stem, or sternpost, and is constructed like a ladder. The main structure consists of two side-panels connected by a series of cross-planks called "treads", which are 4 inches (10 cm) wide and spaced about 1 foot (30 cm) apart. Because a punt has no keel, the draw of the boat is only a few inches even when fully laden, which makes the boat very manoeuvrable and suitable for shallow waters. A punt can be manoeuvred with equal facility in either direction, making it useful in narrow streams where turning the boat around may be difficult. The square-cut bow of the punt gives the boat greater carrying capacity for a given measure of length than a boat of the same beam with a narrow or pointed bow; the square-cut bow also makes the punt very stable, suitable for transporting passengers.

The first punts are associated with the River Thames in England and were built as small cargo boats and as platforms for fishermen. Pleasure punts, built specifically for recreation, became popular on the Thames between 1860 and 1880.

Some other boats have a similar shape to a traditional punt – for example the Optimist training dinghy or the air boats used in the Everglades – but the most similar boat is the European Weidling, a type of boat that can be tracked back to Celtic boats built more than 2,000 years ago.

Punts are still made in England to supply the tourist trade in Oxford and Cambridge or for racing purposes. The construction material of choice for most punts is wood. Fibreglass is used for some very light and narrow racing punts. The sides, the ends, known as "huffs", and the "till" are normally made of hardwood such as mahogany. The treads are often made from teak. The bottom is made of softwood and may be replaced several times during the life of a particular boat.

A traditional punt is about 24 feet (7.3 m) long and 3 feet (0.91 m) wide. The sides are about 18 inches (0.46 m) deep. Both the bow and the stern are cut square, with a long shallow "swim"; this is to say, the underside of the boat slopes very gently at the front and the back.

Both smaller and wider punts are made. Extra large and wide punts known as ferry punts may be seen in Cambridge, where many are used as water-borne tourist vehicles. Single seater Thames punts were normally made only 2 feet (61 cm) wide, and somewhat shorter than a standard punt; very few of these are still afloat. Racing punts, which are still used by a few specialist clubs on the lower Thames, may be built even narrower. Thames punts have occasionally been adapted for other means of propulsion: including sails, tow-ropes, and paddle wheels. With the addition of iron hoops and canvas awnings, punts have also been used for camping.