tugboat

noun

tug·​boat ˈtəg-ˌbōt How to pronounce tugboat (audio)
Synonyms of tugboatnext
: a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing

called also towboat

Examples of tugboat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Finally, there is Jessenia, who is new to yachting but has been working on tugboats for the last couple of years. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026 The tugboat captain who in 2025 was steering the barge that crashed into a sailboat on Biscayne Bay near Miami Beach, killing three girls, was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Tuesday afternoon. — Morgan Rynor, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 After the tugboat overturned, one crew member, an Indonesian, was rescued by the merchant vessel. — ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026 Each 10-megawatt reactor on a barge can power the equivalent of about 10,000 homes, can be moved via tugboats, and can be stacked alongside each other for extra power generation. — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tugboat

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tugboat was in 1830

Rhymes for tugboat

See All Rhymes for tugboat

Browse Nearby Words

Tug
tugboat
tug chain
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tugboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tugboat. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

tugboat

noun
tug·​boat ˈtəg-ˌbōt How to pronounce tugboat (audio)
: a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing ships

More from Merriam-Webster on tugboat

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tugboat

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tugboat

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All