barge

American  

[bahrj] / bɑrdʒ /

noun

• barges
  plural

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• barges
  plural

Participles

• barging
  present
• barged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• barge
  simple
• barges
  simple
• have barged
  perfect
• has barged
  perfect
• am barging
  progressive
• are barging
  progressive
• is barging
  progressive
• have been barging
  perfect progressive
• has been barging
  perfect progressive

Past

• barged
  simple
• had barged
  perfect
• was barging
  progressive
• were barging
  progressive
• had been barging
  perfect progressive

Future

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

See Examples For:

barge barges barged barging

More striking still, the resulting sale of a team associated with Magic, Kobe, Kareem and LeBron has become a tabloid sensation without Mr. Trump trying to barge into the middle of it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

"Today, most of the inland ports along the Rhine cannot be reached by barge anymore."

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

The ships are being constructed in blocks which will be taken to Belfast by barge for final assembly.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Netflix or another streaming winner could barge in to buy the choice bits first.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

When she came to, they were maneuvering alongside a much larger barge.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

According to the event's organisers, approximately 850,000 fireworks will be launched from 10 sites across the city, including eight barges on the Potomac River.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

But then came a foul: one robot barges into the goalkeeper, sending it crashing to the ground.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

Cammell Laird, for instance, now builds the bow sections for the Type 26 frigates and transports them on barges from their Birkenhead base to Govan on the Clyde.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

The Navy had bulked up its escort system with militarized barges and other fortifications.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026

The Harbor was plied with barges and packets from all up and down the coast, delivering fuel and grain.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

Before further questions could be asked, a federal agent barged in and said Bušić had to appear before a federal judge.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

Digwa claimed that Nowak barged into him, something the judge said was likely a lie.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

Incendiary is certainly a word one could use to describe public sentiment toward AI, which has barged into public life with a pace and aggression unlike any of its technological predecessors.

From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026

I was sitting in the chair in mid-shave when a bald gentleman barged into the shop searching not for a cut, but a promise.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 22, 2026

She barged along straight through anything that stood in her way, the heavy striped face a mask of cold fury.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

Another reveals that Sidney has security cameras linked to her phone, yet she forgets about them to go barging into her dark house.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026

"It should never have happened like this, whatever the reason," he said, likening the US attack to "someone barging into your house."

From Barron's ● Jan. 6, 2026

Second row Cyril Caseaux scored the only try of the second period, barging over from short range.

From BBC ● May 24, 2025

Videos on social media showed swarms of consumers barging into stores, frantically grabbing as many bags as possible.

From Salon ● May 11, 2025

If he should happen to cry, he wouldn’t want anybody barging right into the middle of it.

From "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen

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