: a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing
called also towboat
Examples of tugboat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
The lead pilot also dropped an anchor, issued steering commands and called for help from nearby tugboats, according to a preliminary timeline outlined by the National Transportation Safety Board.
—Nick Perry, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2024
One of the tugboats, the Eric McAllister, turned around and raced back toward the ship.
—Mike Baker, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
The street wasn’t well lit, and the hostel reared up so suddenly from the footpath and was so tall and bright that walking past it in the dark felt a little like being in a tugboat bumping along the edge of an ocean liner.
—Fiona McFarlane, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
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
The lead pilot also dropped an anchor, issued steering commands and called for help from nearby tugboats, according to a preliminary timeline outlined by the National Transportation Safety Board.
—Nick Perry, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2024
One of the tugboats, the Eric McAllister, turned around and raced back toward the ship.
—Mike Baker, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
The street wasn’t well lit, and the hostel reared up so suddenly from the footpath and was so tall and bright that walking past it in the dark felt a little like being in a tugboat bumping along the edge of an ocean liner.
—Fiona McFarlane, The New Yorker, 4 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 18 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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