barge

[ bahrj ]

/ bɑrdʒ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR barge ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

a vessel of state used in pageants: elegantly decorated barges on the Grand Canal in Venice.

Navy. a boat reserved for a flag officer.

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

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

verb (used without object), barged, barg·ing.

to move clumsily; bump into things; collide: to barge through a crowd.

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

verb (used with object), barged, barg·ing.

to carry or transport by barge: Coal and ore had been barged down the Ohio to the Mississippi.

Verb Phrases

barge in, to intrude, especially rudely: I hated to barge in without an invitation.

barge into,

Also barge in on. to force oneself upon, especially rudely; interfere in: to barge into a conversation.
to bump into; collide with: He started to run away and barged into a passer-by.

Nearby words

bargaining agent, bargaining chip, bargaining level, bargaining scope, bargaining unit, barge, barge couple, barge course, barge in, barge spike, bargeboard

Origin of barge

1250–1300; Middle English < Middle French, perhaps < Latin *bārica; see bark³

Can be confusedbarge boat canoe cruise ship sailboat ship yacht

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for barge

I wandered around aimlessly for a while, then gave the goose to an acquiescent hippy on a barge.
The Life and Art of Radical Provocateur—and Commune Leader—Otto Muehl|Anthony Haden-Guest|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The offices are on a barge that has floated in the river since 1976, but which is on dry land today.
Climate Change Hits the Mississippi River|David Frum|January 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She had no need for magic arts and charms given her barge with gilded stern and soaring purple sails.
All Hail Cleopatra!|Michael Korda|November 5, 2010|DAILY BEAST
When in doubt, barge into the meeting, argue, then call him out on sleeping in his office.
Eulogy for Don Draper's Secretary|The Daily Beast Video|September 20, 2010|DAILY BEAST

It has made me quite as happy to get this barge for you, and to make it comfortable, as it can do you both to receive it.
The Lost Heir|G. A. Henty
They went to unload shakes and poles for stable from a barge.
An Artilleryman's Diary|Jenkin Lloyd Jones
The third person in the stern-sheets of the barge was Mr. Augustus Pelham.
Up The Baltic|Oliver Optic
"A barge is ready to conduct you to the shore," continued the admiral, leading the young soldier to the side of the vessel.
Calavar|Robert Montgomery Bird
A barge came up, breaking the floating ice and the silence, and a woman steered it.
The Uncommercial Traveller|Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for barge

barge

/ (bɑːdʒ) /

noun

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

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

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

jocular, derogatory any vessel, esp an old or clumsy one

Australian informal a heavy or cumbersome surfboard

verb

(intr foll by into) informal to bump (into)

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

(intr; foll by into or in) informal to interrupt rudely or clumsilyto barge into a conversation

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

(tr) to transport by barge

(intr) informal to move slowly or clumsily

Word Origin for barge

C13: from Old French, from Medieval Latin barga, probably from Late Latin barca a small boat; see barque

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for barge (1 of 2)

barge

c.1300, "small seagoing vessel with sails," from Old French barge, Old Provençal barca, from Medieval Latin barga, perhaps from Celtic, or perhaps from Latin *barica, from Greek baris "Egyptian boat," from Coptic bari "small boat." Meaning "flat-bottomed freight boat" dates from late 15c.

Word Origin and History for barge (1 of 2)

barge

"to journey by barge," 1590s, from barge (n.). The form barge into and the sense "crash heavily into," in reference to the rough handling of barges, dates from 1830s, American English. Related: Barged; barging.

barge

noun

verb (used without object), barged, barg·ing.

verb (used with object), barged, barg·ing.

Verb Phrases

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Origin of barge

Examples from the Web for barge

British Dictionary definitions for barge

barge

noun

verb

Word Origin for barge

Word Origin and History for barge (1 of 2)

barge

Word Origin and History for barge (1 of 2)

barge