barge

play

noun \ ˈbärj \

Definition of barge

:any of various boats: such as

a :a roomy usually flat-bottomed boat used chiefly for the transport of goods on inland waterways and usually propelled by towing

b :a large motorboat supplied to the flag officer of a flagship

c :a roomy pleasure boat; especially :a boat of state elegantly furnished and decorated

See barge defined for English-language learners

See barge defined for kids

Recent Examples of barge from the Web

This company attempted to perform the difficult hammering job from a floating barge and failed.

— justin nobel, Longreads, "Why Oil-Loving Louisiana Should Embrace America’s Coming Offshore Wind Boom," 23 Aug. 2017
An earlier study raised the possibility that small fish could be pulled through the electric field in the wake of passing barges and survive.

— Washington Post, "Asian carp found near Lake Michigan got past barriers," 18 Aug. 2017
The towboats are now pushing up to 42 barges each, six wide, seven deep.

— paul meincke, chicagotribune.com, "ABC7 reporter Paul Meincke finds adventure and angels on epic Mississippi canoe trip," 10 Aug. 2017
Yet even a barge optimist like Grenville concedes weather can get in the way.

— scott canon, kansascity, "Climate shifts could clog food routes through Kansas City," 8 Aug. 2017
La Démesure sur Seine With barges like Flow and Rosa Bonheur dominating the party scene on the Left Bank of the Seine,

— Vogue, "The Best New Places for an Outdoor Aperitif in Paris," 25 July 2017
Every four or five years, the canals have to be dredged out to remove sediment and keep them open to boat and barge traffic – the only transport option open to these nurseries for the first 500 years of their operation.

— paul cappiello, The Courier-Journal, "A stunning glimpse into the contrast offered by today’s nursery industry," 21 July 2017
And most prominent is steam barge The Mary Jarecki, wrecked in 1883.

— chris mcnamara, chicagotribune.com, "A deep dive into Michigan's eerie, beautiful Shipwreck Coast," 18 July 2017
Kinney believes the plane on the barge is the Electra, and that two of the people on the dock are Earhart and Noonan.

— lisa gutierrez donna mcguire, kansascity.com, "Amelia Earhart did not die in a Pacific plane crash, a newly revealed photo suggests," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'barge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of barge

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin barca

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

Other Nautical Terms

avast, aweigh, flotsam, jib, keel, lee, port, starboard, stay

barge

verb

Definition of barge

barged; barging

transitive verb

:to carry by barge

intransitive verb

1 :to move ponderously or clumsily

2 :to thrust oneself heedlessly or unceremoniously

barged into the meeting

See barge defined for English-language learners

Examples of barge in a Sentence

He came rushing down the stairs, barging into the crowd of people at the bottom.
She barged through the door without even knocking.

Recent Examples of barge from the Web

Then, with Dawkins chasing him like a dropped dollar bill on a windy day, Barnett reversed course, barging through some traffic on the opposite side of the pocket to force his target to tuck the ball and run.

— david murphy, Philly.com, "Eagles' Derek Barnett deserving of significant role on defensive line," 18 Aug. 2017
Two new water and sewer trucks are being barged to Bethel this summer, and that will help, Williams said.

— lisa demer, Alaska Dispatch News, "Overweight Bethel water trucks causing problems for city and DOT," 7 Aug. 2017
As Wednesday’s investigation into the veracity of Pickle barged on ahead, weary Trump supporters noted the lunacy – the desperation – of people who would dedicate so much energy to tearing apart a sweet letter from a child.

— monica hesse, sacbee, "Did a 9-year-old called ‘Pickle’ really write to Trump? Yep – and he’s from Stockton.," 28 July 2017
Over 25 Interior Ministry officials barged into my Moscow office and the office of the American law firm that represented me.

— rosie gray, The Atlantic, "Bill Browder's Testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee," 25 July 2017
A series of mega-mergers currently under way is concentrating even more power in the hands of a few, giving them the heft to barge into new markets.

— The Economist, "Reform of China’s ailing state-owned firms is emboldening them," 20 July 2017
Before the storms barged in, festival crowds and bands endured hours of oppressive heat that was magnified by the lack of wind or ventilation.

— timothy finn, kansascity.com, "On day two, Boulevardia headliners adjust to the weather’s fury," 18 June 2017
That’s when USCP Officer Jacob Chestnut and Detective John Gibson died when gunman Russell Weston Jr. barged in with a gun.

— chad pergram, Fox News, "Scalise shooting adds dark new chapter to congressional baseball lore," 15 June 2017
Weeks later Shine barged into the barbershop and unloaded two pistols, killing another Loyal Always member, Walter Barfield, along with Brandon White and William Gonzalez.

— cory shaffer, cleveland.com, "Gang member targeted by barbershop shooter gets life in prison in downtown stabbing," 8 June 2017

First Known Use of barge

1649

barge Synonyms

Synonyms

lumber, clomp, clump, flog [British], flounder, galumph, lump, plod, pound, scuff, scuffle, shamble, shuffle, slog, slough, stamp, stomp, stumble, stump, tramp, tromp, trudge

Antonyms

breeze, coast, glide, slide, waltz, whisk

Related Words

drag, flop, haul; blunder, careen, dodder, lurch, reel, stagger, sway, teeter, totter, waddle, weave, wobble (also wabble)

Near Antonyms

drift, float, hang, hover, poise, waft

BARGE Defined for English Language Learners

barge

play

noun

Definition of barge for English Language Learners

: a large boat that has a flat bottom and that is used to carry goods in harbors and on rivers and canals

barge

verb

Definition of barge for English Language Learners

: to move or push in a fast, awkward, and often rude way

BARGE Defined for Kids

barge

play

noun \ ˈbärj \

Definition of barge for Students

:a broad boat with a flat bottom used chiefly in harbors and on rivers and canals

barge

verb

Definition of barge for Students

barged; barging

:to move or push in a fast and often rude way

He barged through the crowd.

Learn More about barge

See words that rhyme with barge Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for barge Spanish Central: Translation of barge Nglish: Translation of barge for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of barge for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about barge

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barge

Definition of barge

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Recent Examples of barge from the Web

Origin and Etymology of barge

Other Nautical Terms

barge

Definition of barge

Examples of barge in a Sentence

Recent Examples of barge from the Web

First Known Use of barge

barge Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Phrases Related to BARGE

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BARGE Defined for English Language Learners

barge

Definition of barge for English Language Learners

barge

Definition of barge for English Language Learners

BARGE Defined for Kids

barge

Definition of barge for Students

barge

Definition of barge for Students

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