: a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing
called also towboat
Examples of tugboat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The incident came almost exactly one year after another 10 barges broke free from their tugboats on the same stretch of river near Louisville, the Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.
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USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Ed Whitmore, the owner of the tugboat pushing the barge, went to consult the captain, then returned.
—Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
By that point, the Dali would have already left tugboats and a docking pilot behind but would have remained under the guidance of a harbor pilot, McManus said.
—NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Introducing new fire risks to heavily trafficked ports with combustible cargoes is also dangerous — imagine the threats to safety, the environment and property if a DPF ignites on a tugboat carrying 110,000 barrels of fuel.
—Thomas Catenacci, Fox News, 14 Apr. 2024
And the Open Arms, a venerable tugboat turned rescue vessel, and its crew from the Spanish charity Proactive Open Arms were already docked in the serene waters of Larnaca’s port.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Stabilizing the Dali will be accomplished by using anchors and tugboats, the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said Monday.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
The pilot asked by radio for tugboats to help, ordered the Dali’s rudder turned hard and called for its anchor to be dropped.
—William Wan, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024
In the middle of the night a pair of tugboats initially towed the Dali away from the Seagirt Marine Terminal, where 20-story cranes dominate the port’s skyline.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024
USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Ed Whitmore, the owner of the tugboat pushing the barge, went to consult the captain, then returned.
—Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
By that point, the Dali would have already left tugboats and a docking pilot behind but would have remained under the guidance of a harbor pilot, McManus said.
—NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Introducing new fire risks to heavily trafficked ports with combustible cargoes is also dangerous — imagine the threats to safety, the environment and property if a DPF ignites on a tugboat carrying 110,000 barrels of fuel.
—Thomas Catenacci, Fox News, 14 Apr. 2024
And the Open Arms, a venerable tugboat turned rescue vessel, and its crew from the Spanish charity Proactive Open Arms were already docked in the serene waters of Larnaca’s port.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Stabilizing the Dali will be accomplished by using anchors and tugboats, the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said Monday.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
The pilot asked by radio for tugboats to help, ordered the Dali’s rudder turned hard and called for its anchor to be dropped.
—William Wan, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024
In the middle of the night a pair of tugboats initially towed the Dali away from the Seagirt Marine Terminal, where 20-story cranes dominate the port’s skyline.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tugboat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tugboat
Cite this Entry
“Tugboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tugboat. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tugboat
noun
tug·boat
ˈtəg-ˌbōt 
: a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing ships
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