barge

1 of 2

noun

: 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

barge

2 of 2

verb

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

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
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

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.

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

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