: a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing
called also towboat
Examples of tugboat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In separate raids on Crimean anchorages in February, May and June 2024, the USVs sank a corvette, a landing ship, a patrol boat and a tugboat.
—
David Axe, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
The journey downriver began at around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, with tugboats guiding the ship under the Walt Whitman Bridge about 10 minutes before low tide, when the clearance would be greatest.
—Isabelle Taft, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025
Named after a nearby tugboat that accidentally sank more than 30 years ago, the beach has become one of the island’s most popular diving and snorkeling sites.
—Curaçao Tourist Board, AFAR Media, 26 Feb. 2025
Lind, then in his late 70s, invited an eccentric group of folks living on a neighboring vintage tugboat to come along and become his tenants.
—Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tugboat
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.
David Axe, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
The journey downriver began at around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, with tugboats guiding the ship under the Walt Whitman Bridge about 10 minutes before low tide, when the clearance would be greatest.
—Isabelle Taft, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025
Named after a nearby tugboat that accidentally sank more than 30 years ago, the beach has become one of the island’s most popular diving and snorkeling sites.
—Curaçao Tourist Board, AFAR Media, 26 Feb. 2025
Lind, then in his late 70s, invited an eccentric group of folks living on a neighboring vintage tugboat to come along and become his tenants.
—Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 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 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tugboat
noun
tug·boat
ˈtəg-ˌbōt 
: a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing ships
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share