: a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing
called also towboat
Examples of tugboat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The operator of a tugboat pushing a barge that crashed into a summer-camp sailboat in Biscayne Bay last summer, killing three young girls, is negotiating a guilty plea with prosecutors to spare the victims’ families from a trial, his attorney told the Miami Herald on Tuesday.
—
David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 12 May 2026
Like a tugboat guiding cargo ships in and out of port, it’s used in Woven City to autonomously move cars from the parking garage to a pickup area for residents.
—Tim Stevens, ArsTechnica, 4 May 2026
This park is located on the rolling hills of northern Contra Costa County, offering impressive views of giant ships and tugboats in the Carquinez Strait, part of the tidal estuary of the Sacramento and the San Joaquin rivers.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
The sun has barely risen when the mission's navy tugboat arrives on site, carrying an underwater robot and two large containers acting as makeshift offices for marine archaeologists.
—CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tugboat
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David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 12 May 2026
Like a tugboat guiding cargo ships in and out of port, it’s used in Woven City to autonomously move cars from the parking garage to a pickup area for residents.
—Tim Stevens, ArsTechnica, 4 May 2026
This park is located on the rolling hills of northern Contra Costa County, offering impressive views of giant ships and tugboats in the Carquinez Strait, part of the tidal estuary of the Sacramento and the San Joaquin rivers.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
The sun has barely risen when the mission's navy tugboat arrives on site, carrying an underwater robot and two large containers acting as makeshift offices for marine archaeologists.
—CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tugboat
Cite this Entry
“Tugboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tugboat. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tugboat
noun
tug·boat
ˈtəg-ˌbōt 
: a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing ships
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