tugboat
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of tugboat
Explanation
A tugboat is a water craft that's used to move other boats by pushing or pulling them. In an active harbor, you'll often see tugboats assisting larger vessels as they maneuver in or out of the crowded area. Tugboat engines are typically fairly strong, so they can tow — or tug — boats that are bigger. Some tugboats also help move boats that can't steer or power themselves, like barges or ships that are disabled.
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.
The film is not about a tugboat operator, nor does it follow the life and times of the ramshackle group working at a service garage.
From Salon • Mar. 22, 2026
Four bulk carriers, three container ships, a tugboat, an oil drilling vessel and a cargo ship also reported explosions, strikes or suspicious activity in the area to UKMTO.
From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026
Local pilots and tugboat crews had said they could take the vessel further out to sea or to a jetty to offload the oil but "were ignored", he claimed.
From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026
In a partnership with Portland, Ore.-based shipyard Diversified Marine Inc., Arc plans to retrofit a 26-foot-long truckable tugboat with lithium-ion battery packs and a 600-horsepower drivetrain.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2025
I stare past the runners and see a tugboat in the water.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
