: a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing
called also towboat
Examples of tugboat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Three aides surrounded him with the anxious efficiency of tugboats trying to coax a barge into port.
—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024
Authorities used explosives to cut up a large piece of bridge that sat on the ship’s bow, which later allowed the vessel to be pulled and pushed to the Port of Baltimore by tugboats.
—Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 8 July 2024
In an emergency, if tugboat crews need to quickly reach the side of the vessel, foilers could block access.
—Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 7 July 2024
Parish blew the tugboat’s horn, to the delight of waving passengers.
—Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 20 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for tugboat 
Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024
Authorities used explosives to cut up a large piece of bridge that sat on the ship’s bow, which later allowed the vessel to be pulled and pushed to the Port of Baltimore by tugboats.
—Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 8 July 2024
In an emergency, if tugboat crews need to quickly reach the side of the vessel, foilers could block access.
—Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 7 July 2024
Parish blew the tugboat’s horn, to the delight of waving passengers.
—Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 20 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for tugboat
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Cite this Entry
“Tugboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tugboat. Accessed 26 Jul. 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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