barge

American  

[bahrj] / bɑrdʒ /

noun

1. a capacious, flat-bottomed vessel, usually intended to be pushed or towed, for transporting freight or passengers; lighter.

2. a vessel of state used in pageants.

   elegantly decorated barges on the Grand Canal in Venice.

3. Navy. a boat reserved for a flag officer.

4. a boat that is heavier and wider than a shell, often used in racing as a training boat.

5. New England (chiefly Older Use). a large, horse-drawn coach or, sometimes, a bus.

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verb (used without object)

barges, present (3rd person singular) barged, past participle, past barging present participle

1. to move clumsily; bump into things; collide.

   to barge through a crowd.

2. to move in the slow, heavy manner of a barge.

verb (used with object)

barges, present (3rd person singular) barged, past participle, past barging present participle

1. to carry or transport by barge.

   Coal and ore had been barged down the Ohio to the Mississippi.

verb phrase

1. barge into

   1. Also barge in on. to force oneself upon, especially rudely; interfere in.

      to barge into a conversation.

   2. to bump into; collide with.

      He started to run away and barged into a passer-by.

2. barge in to intrude, especially rudely.

   I hated to barge in without an invitation.

barge British  

/ bɑːdʒ /

noun

1. a vessel, usually flat-bottomed and with or without its own power, used for transporting freight, esp on canals

2. a vessel, often decorated, used in pageants, for state occasions, etc

3. navy a boat allocated to a flag officer, used esp for ceremonial occasions and often carried on board his flagship

4. humorous any vessel, esp an old or clumsy one

5. informal a heavy or cumbersome surfboard

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verb

1. informal to bump (into)

2. informal (tr) to push (someone or one's way) violently

3. informal (intr; foll by into or in) to interrupt rudely or clumsily

   to barge into a conversation

4. (tr) sailing to bear down on (another boat or boats) at the start of a race

5. (tr) to transport by barge

6. informal (intr) to move slowly or clumsily

Other Word Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has barged
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have barged
  perfect
• has been barging
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have been barging
  perfect progressive
• am barging
  progressive 1st person singular
• are barging
  progressive
• is barging
  progressive 3rd person singular
• barging
  participle
• barges
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had barged
  perfect
• had been barging
  perfect progressive
• were barging
  progressive plural
• was barging
  progressive singular
• barged
  participle
• barged
  simple

Future

• will barge
  simple
• will have barged
  perfect
• will have been barging
  perfect progressive
• will be barging
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of barge

1250–1300; Middle English < Middle French, perhaps < Latin *bārica; see bark ³

Explanation

A barge is a big, flat boat that can transport heavy goods over water. You might see a barge carrying a load of new cars down a river. Barges are useful for moving very heavy things along canals and rivers. A typical barge can hold more than a thousand tons of cargo, so it's ideal for bulky, weighty goods. Barge is also a verb, meaning both "move by barge" and "shove forward," as when you barge in the door of a crowded party or barge into your brother's room just to bother him. The root is believed to be the Greek baris, "Egyptian boat."

Example Sentences

American Commercial Barge Line reports multiple closures along the river this month, and that slate of closures may be constraining how many grain shipments are making it to port cities like New Orleans.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 2025

Shaleen Rajaendram, 59, who lives on Barge House Road, which leads onto the causeway, told PA: "I heard upstairs a guy was screaming 'wait there, wait, the police is coming'."

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2025

During the internship, he was a lead author on a research paper with Barge, Khodayari and others on how nitrates react with iron compounds in aqueous environments.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2024

Barge transportation through locks extends navigation from saltwater all the way to Lewiston, Idaho.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 14, 2023

Since that night among the bodies and the swim from the Reaper’s Barge, he had not been able to bear the feeling of skin against skin.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

Related Words

• raft