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

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Etymology

Origin of barge

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

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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

A princess stakes her influence, an enemy ace his aircraft, a barge captain his ingenuity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Most of the ensemble is made up of exuberant nonprofessionals, at least one of whom agreed to barge into a scene for $50 and is so screamingly, gigglingly pesky that he’s well worth the money.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Watson said he had been left with "no negotiation" about how much rent was paid to him for his land, and warned landowners tempted to host masts not to "touch it with a barge pole".

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 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

“So sorry to barge in like this, ma’am,” Henry said.

From "I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912" by Lauren Tarshis

Federal agencies are teaming up with startups to deploy floating power barges and nuclear cargo fleets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

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

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

He expects to pay more as barges loaded with expensive heating oil arrive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

Naturally, she barges in before I can respond.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

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

Lawrence barged through three Saracens defenders for Bath's fourth try, but Caluori crossed within a couple of minutes when he cut in from the right to give Burke a slightly easier conversion, which he added.

From BBC ● Apr. 4, 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

No one answered immediately, and in the awkward pause C.P. wondered if he had barged in on a group of criminals.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

This week, a lot of companies at CES in Las Vegas seem to be barging in on Tesla’s AI-related businesses, trying to build self-driving cars and AI-trained robots.

From Barron's ● Jan. 8, 2026

After the collision, Piastri asked on the radio whether the team were "cool with Lando barging me out of the way" but McLaren took no action during the race.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2025

Police and wildlife officials were bombarded for weeks with reports of bears barging into homes in Sierra Madre, smashing windows and slashing screen doors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2025

Verstappen accused Russell of barging him off the track, and was also upset about the Leclerc incident.

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2025

Southern West Virginia society did not allow for barging in on strangers in the middle of the night, no matter what the situation.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

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