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 barged

Charlie Rangel barged into his office on the seventh floor of the Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
Charlie Rangel on Immigration, Pope Francis & His Successor|David Freedlander|August 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Another time he showed up at The Village Voice, barged in, and gave writer Joe Conason a nice old knuckle sandwich.
Page Six's Biggest Feuds|Jacob Bernstein|October 8, 2010|DAILY BEAST
When he reached the front door he just grabbed hold of the knob, twisted it, shoved open the door and barged right inside.
Dave Dawson on the Russian Front|R. Sidney Bowen
He blistered Arbuthnot with abuse, swung from the newspaper office, and barged mightily down Fleet Street, a disturber of traffic.
Jaffery|William J. Locke

I found the rooms without any trouble, though an elderly doctor stared at me rather curiously as I barged along the quiet hallway.
The Planet Savers|Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Irishman barged cheerfully across the room and ordered a pie.
A Yankee Flier with the R.A.F.|Rutherford G. Montgomery
Some one barged into him, surged into him, from the rear, causing him to stumble.
Tutors' Lane|Wilmarth Lewis

British Dictionary definitions for barged

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 barged (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.

Word Origin and History for barged (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.

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 barged

British Dictionary definitions for barged

barge

noun

verb

Word Origin for barge

Word Origin and History for barged (1 of 2)

barge

Word Origin and History for barged (1 of 2)

barge