: 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
barged; barging
: to carry by barge
1
: to move ponderously or clumsily
2
: to thrust oneself heedlessly or unceremoniously
barged into the meeting
Synonyms
Examples of barge in a Sentence
Verb
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 on the Web
Debbie Truong, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2023
The first image shows U.S. Marines on a landing barge approaching Tarawa in November 1943.
—Natasha Frost Maud Bodoukian Meyrant, New York Times, 18 Nov. 2023
Now a new house is arriving on a barge, and soon Mama Sue will have indoor plumbing and running water for the first time.
—Kyle Hopkins, ProPublica, 11 Nov. 2023
The wreck of a colossal oil barge is home to some of the bay's most stunning marine life.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 22 Sep. 2023
The first 39 men on board were evacuated in August after Legionella bacteria was found in the barge’s water system.
—Megan Specia, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2023
The Corps has been sending fresh water by barge to water treatment facilities along the river to reduce tap water salinity.
—Isa Meyers, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Oct. 2023
Barging millions of gallons of freshwater Given the scarcity of the reverse osmosis machines – and their limited ability to filter high volumes of water – the Army Corps announced plans to distribute up to 36 million gallons of freshwater a day with a fleet of barges.
—Eric Zerkel, CNN, 26 Sep. 2023
The harbor will be around 1,000 feet long and 200 feet wide with the capacity to offload up to eight barges at a time.
—Aaron Gettinger, Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2023
Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 9 Nov. 2023
Coastal areas in North Carolina bore the brunt of impacts as the expansive storm’s center barged into the state earlier Saturday.
—Aya Elamroussi, CNN, 23 Sep. 2023
The gunmen shot them through the door, barged into the room and shot each child once more in the head.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Oct. 2023
Police officers barged into homes, including Mr. Abanja’s, bludgeoning his family with batons and fracturing the skull of his 6-month-old daughter, Samantha Pendo, who died.
—Abdi Latif Dahir, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2023
Sergio Patricio Galván, a police officer in Formosa, barged into the beauty center where his ex-girlfriend Teresita Luciana López worked as a secretary Monday.
—Peter Aitken, Fox News, 22 Sep. 2023
An unidentified woman barged twice into the room, where a PEOPLE reporter was present: the first time, the court clerk asked her to calm down and leave, and Westcott's attorney Andrew Thomas, who appeared shaken, urged deputies to be called.
—Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 6 Oct. 2023
The Army Corps of Engineers is busy raising the height of an underwater levee used to block or slow the salt water, and 15 million gallons (57 million liters) of fresh water is barged in to treatment facilities.
—Sara Cline, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2023
Officials in Louisiana said millions of gallons of water are being barged in to dilute local water supplies, if needed, and reverse osmosis equipment may also be used at some treatment facilities.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 29 Sep. 2023
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Noun
Around the same time, officials also weighed a proposal to house students on a floating barge, an idea that attracted national media attention and was mocked in a brief segment by Stephen Colbert.
—Debbie Truong, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2023
The first image shows U.S. Marines on a landing barge approaching Tarawa in November 1943.
—Natasha Frost Maud Bodoukian Meyrant, New York Times, 18 Nov. 2023
Now a new house is arriving on a barge, and soon Mama Sue will have indoor plumbing and running water for the first time.
—Kyle Hopkins, ProPublica, 11 Nov. 2023
The wreck of a colossal oil barge is home to some of the bay's most stunning marine life.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 22 Sep. 2023
The first 39 men on board were evacuated in August after Legionella bacteria was found in the barge’s water system.
—Megan Specia, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2023
The Corps has been sending fresh water by barge to water treatment facilities along the river to reduce tap water salinity.
—Isa Meyers, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Oct. 2023
Barging millions of gallons of freshwater Given the scarcity of the reverse osmosis machines – and their limited ability to filter high volumes of water – the Army Corps announced plans to distribute up to 36 million gallons of freshwater a day with a fleet of barges.
—Eric Zerkel, CNN, 26 Sep. 2023
The harbor will be around 1,000 feet long and 200 feet wide with the capacity to offload up to eight barges at a time.
—Aaron Gettinger, Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2023
Verb
Three men hanging out in a Washington garage fought off a pair of armed robbers who barged in and stuck a rifle in their faces, wild home security video shows.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 9 Nov. 2023
Coastal areas in North Carolina bore the brunt of impacts as the expansive storm’s center barged into the state earlier Saturday.
—Aya Elamroussi, CNN, 23 Sep. 2023
The gunmen shot them through the door, barged into the room and shot each child once more in the head.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Oct. 2023
Police officers barged into homes, including Mr. Abanja’s, bludgeoning his family with batons and fracturing the skull of his 6-month-old daughter, Samantha Pendo, who died.
—Abdi Latif Dahir, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2023
Sergio Patricio Galván, a police officer in Formosa, barged into the beauty center where his ex-girlfriend Teresita Luciana López worked as a secretary Monday.
—Peter Aitken, Fox News, 22 Sep. 2023
An unidentified woman barged twice into the room, where a PEOPLE reporter was present: the first time, the court clerk asked her to calm down and leave, and Westcott's attorney Andrew Thomas, who appeared shaken, urged deputies to be called.
—Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 6 Oct. 2023
The Army Corps of Engineers is busy raising the height of an underwater levee used to block or slow the salt water, and 15 million gallons (57 million liters) of fresh water is barged in to treatment facilities.
—Sara Cline, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2023
Officials in Louisiana said millions of gallons of water are being barged in to dilute local water supplies, if needed, and reverse osmosis equipment may also be used at some treatment facilities.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 29 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'barge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin barca
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb
1649, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Time Traveler
The first known use of barge was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing barge
Dictionary Entries Near barge
Cite this Entry
“Barge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barge. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
barge
1 of 2 noun
: a broad flat-bottomed boat that is usually towed and used chiefly to transport goods in harbors and on rivers and canals
barge
2 of 2 verb
barged; barging
1
: to carry by barge
2
: to move or push oneself clumsily or rudely
barged right in
More from Merriam-Webster on 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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