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

Here’s where nerds barge in with the ground rules: excuse me, that’s definitely an out.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

That night on the beach, Trump Jr. lifted his bride into the air while fireworks launched from a barge over the sea.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

Green has his braggadocious billionaire Foghorn barge into scenes like the second-coming of John Goodman, although it’s probably more accurate to guess that Goodman was inspired by him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

As the barge and its accompanying fleet of vessels then made their way toward the harbor, Wendell Lewis, director of the recovery operation, sent a message to the top harbor official.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

It envisions putting the reactors on floating barges, which could be anchored miles offshore.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

America’s second largest port and its partner are trying to tap into the energy that powers nuclear submarines and build power plants on barges.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Two 80-metre barges are also being stationed at Paks that could be sunk to raise the water level.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

In Dillingham, a coastal city in Western Alaska, barges have started coming in, and with them, higher fuel prices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

The shell barges were much like the racing shells the boys aspired to sit in, but they were a few inches broader in the beam, with flatter bottoms and keels.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Zverev’s ascent: In a raggedy year marked by injuries to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the 29-year-old Zverev barged his lanky 6-foot-6 frame into tennis’s generational duopoly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Malcolm Marx trundled over at the back of a rolling maul after the interval and, three minutes later, Pieter-Steph du Toit barged over after a sharp blindside break by the impressive Van den Berg.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

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

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

He barged past Ifemelu into the flat, into the kitchen, and reached up to the electric meter, yanking off the fuse, cutting off what little electricity they had.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

"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

Shortly afterwards, he added: "Are we cool with Lando just barging me out of the way?"

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2025

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

The tweedy guy is at the door again, and now he's pushing it open, barging right in.

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements

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