: a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing
called also towboat
Examples of tugboat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That dude was sinking fast and the R's pretty much sent him the tugboat and life jacket.
—
Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 22 June 2026
Arc Marine's electric tugboats are heading for the Port of Long Beach, California.
—Alan Ohnsman, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
As his career as a photographer continued, Plowden published more books, including one containing his photographs of tugboats, published in 1976.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026
The operator of a tugboat pushing a barge that crashed into a summer-camp sailboat in Biscayne Bay last summer, killing three young girls, is negotiating a guilty plea with prosecutors to spare the victims’ families from a trial, his attorney told the Miami Herald on Tuesday.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tugboat
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Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 22 June 2026
Arc Marine's electric tugboats are heading for the Port of Long Beach, California.
—Alan Ohnsman, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
As his career as a photographer continued, Plowden published more books, including one containing his photographs of tugboats, published in 1976.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026
The operator of a tugboat pushing a barge that crashed into a summer-camp sailboat in Biscayne Bay last summer, killing three young girls, is negotiating a guilty plea with prosecutors to spare the victims’ families from a trial, his attorney told the Miami Herald on Tuesday.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tugboat
Cite this Entry
“Tugboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tugboat. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tugboat
noun
tug·boat
ˈtəg-ˌbōt 
: a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing ships
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