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.

---

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

---

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

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

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

"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

First, workmen, specifically hired for the purpose, placed strong harnesses under the submarine and then attached them to a huge crane that sat upon a recovery barge.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Aside from the floating reactors and cargo ships, the commission also says it has had some early-stage conversations with companies looking to power offshore oil rigs with nuclear barges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Earlier this week, authorities tried to increase the water flow to the plant - which uses the Danube for cooling - by sinking barges loaded with rocks in the river.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Chemicals giant BASF, for instance, has invested in shallow-bottomed barges that are better equipped to navigate during droughts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

In the summer barges bring supplies up the river to the villages.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

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

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

Arendse's yellow card for a deliberate knock-on gave England a man advantage for 10 minutes, and, at the end of the powerplay, Genge barged through opposite number Thomas du Toit from a quick tap penalty.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 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

“It so happens, sugah, the whole family was having a very pleasant conversation before you barged in and insulted Arrabelle.”

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

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

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

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 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

They turned the screw and eventually it worked, Slipper barging over for a score that was rapturously greeted by the massive MCG crowd wearing gold.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 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

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• raft

---