: a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing
called also towboat
Examples of tugboat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But things got immeasurably worse once tugboats began towing them to a port in Mobile, Ala.
—
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 25 June 2025
The situation was on the minds of many who cheered when the Ford steamed from its pier in Norfolk, with tugboats hugging the carrier's hull and sailors lining the sprawling deck in their dress-white uniforms.
—Arkansas Online, 25 June 2025
The small harbor tugboat tows vessels to and from the Marine Group’s boat lift piers and docks.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2025
With the help of a tugboat, the Cuauhtemoc training vessel backed away from a Manhattan pier filled with cheering people at 8:20 p.m. on Saturday, officials said.
—Susan Haigh, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tugboat
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Randall Colburn, EW.com, 25 June 2025
The situation was on the minds of many who cheered when the Ford steamed from its pier in Norfolk, with tugboats hugging the carrier's hull and sailors lining the sprawling deck in their dress-white uniforms.
—Arkansas Online, 25 June 2025
The small harbor tugboat tows vessels to and from the Marine Group’s boat lift piers and docks.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2025
With the help of a tugboat, the Cuauhtemoc training vessel backed away from a Manhattan pier filled with cheering people at 8:20 p.m. on Saturday, officials said.
—Susan Haigh, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tugboat
Cite this Entry
“Tugboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tugboat. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tugboat
noun
tug·boat
ˈtəg-ˌbōt 
: a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing ships
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