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towboat

American

[toh-boht] / ˈtoʊˌboʊt /

noun

a diesel-powered or steam-powered boat used especially on inland waterways to push groups of barges lashed to it in front or on one side or both.
tugboat.

towboat British

/ ˈtəʊˌbəʊt /

noun

another word for tug

"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

Etymology

Origin of towboat

First recorded in 1805–15; tow ¹ + boat

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

towboat

A towboat struck a rail bridge on a foggy September morning and threw the train tracks out of alignment.

From New York Times ● Mar. 26, 2024

A Florida towboat business owner got a shock when he saw a black bear hanging out on a catamaran in the harbor of Naples, Florida earlier this week.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 6, 2023

Around the same time, Willie Odom was piloting the towboat Mauvilla as it pushed six barges up the winding Mobile River.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 24, 2018

“It doesn’t behave like it used to,” said John Carlin, a towboat pilot who has worked the Hannibal, Mo., riverfront for more than 40 years.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 14, 2018

The Tropical Rescue towboat was much bigger than Dad’s bonefish skiff, so there was plenty of room for Mom to ride along.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023