: a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing
called also towboat
Examples of tugboat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even with the grant, that’s a lot of money to spend on a tugboat.
—
Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2025
In 1982, her father, who fought in the Vietnam War, captained a tugboat with 30 passengers fleeing central Vietnam amid the country’s post-war reconstruction, stopping briefly in Hong Kong before continuing to California.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 31 May 2025
How the Brooklyn Bridge ship crash unfolded: From a May 19 briefing from the NTSB:
Around 8:20 p.m., May 17: The ship began backing away from Pier 17 with assistance from a tugboat.
—Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 20 May 2025
The twin ports, situated on more than 10,000 acres on San Pedro Bay, rely on heavy-duty cranes, tugboats and trucks to move cargo.
—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tugboat
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Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2025
In 1982, her father, who fought in the Vietnam War, captained a tugboat with 30 passengers fleeing central Vietnam amid the country’s post-war reconstruction, stopping briefly in Hong Kong before continuing to California.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 31 May 2025
How the Brooklyn Bridge ship crash unfolded: From a May 19 briefing from the NTSB:
Around 8:20 p.m., May 17: The ship began backing away from Pier 17 with assistance from a tugboat.
—Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 20 May 2025
The twin ports, situated on more than 10,000 acres on San Pedro Bay, rely on heavy-duty cranes, tugboats and trucks to move cargo.
—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tugboat
Cite this Entry
“Tugboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tugboat. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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tugboat
noun
tug·boat
ˈtəg-ˌbōt 
: a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing ships
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