tugboat

noun

tug·​boat ˈtəg-ˌbōt How to pronounce tugboat (audio)
: a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing

called also towboat

Examples of tugboat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Maintaining the tugboat became cumbersome, and three Zizian members opted to move into box trucks before squatting in a Bay Area trailer lot owned by Curtis Lind, then age 80, a former shipworker and grandfather of four. Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2025 In the 2007-08 fiscal year, the port authority increased fees for five major services, including tugboats, water supply, wharf rent, container storage and container loading and unloading. Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 15 Oct. 2025 The strikes took place on a military base on the peninsula and in Sevastopol Bay, a Russian tugboat was also hit, according to the GUR. Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025 Museumgoers can also explore a huge freighter and tugboat, docked along the Maumee River outside the museum. Jeri Clausing, AFAR Media, 22 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tugboat

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tugboat was in 1830

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tugboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tugboat. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

tugboat

noun
tug·​boat ˈtəg-ˌbōt How to pronounce tugboat (audio)
: a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing ships

More from Merriam-Webster on tugboat

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