revenue cutter

American  

noun

1. cutter.

---

revenue cutter British  

noun

1. a small lightly armed boat used to enforce customs regulations and catch smugglers

---

Etymology

Origin of revenue cutter

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

“After the purchase, Lincoln carried the U.S. delegation for the transfer ceremony. The Revenue Cutter Service becomes the presence of the federal government in the new territory including the transportation of judges, marshals, prisoners, and witnesses; conduct of courts; enforcement of customs and immigration statutes; and enforcement of laws related to fisheries and wildlife,” notes a Defense Department chronology.

From Washington Times

She will be the 27th commandant of the service, which traces its roots back to the creation of the Revenue Cutter Service shortly after the Revolutionary War, and merged with the U.S.

From New York Times

Revenue Cutter Bear from 1886 to 1895.

From Seattle Times

Revenue Cutter Bear, which sank in 1963 about 260 miles east of Boston as it was being towed to Philadelphia, where it was going to be converted into a floating restaurant, was located in 2019.

From Seattle Times

Coast Guard Academy — founded in 1876 as the “Revenue Cutter School of Instruction” in New Bedford, Massachusetts, with nine determined cadets in the first class.

From Washington Times