tugboat
noun
a small, powerful boat for towing or pushing ships, barges, etc.
tugboats
-
pluralof tugboat.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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 sailors anxiously watched as tugboats battled the blaze that had engulfed storage tanks.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
Replacing the roughly 2,000 tugboats in the U.S. with electric alternatives could prevent more than 1.6 million cars’ worth of greenhouse gas emissions annually, according to Arc.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2025
This was said despite Ecology and the Board of Pilotage Commissioners evaluating the expanded use of tugboats to escort small tankers and oil barges in case of an emergency.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 4, 2024
The Dali was moved by tugboats "under favourable environmental conditions", according to the US Army Corps of Engineers.
From BBC ● May 20, 2024
He used to be a tugboat captain, and tugboats are made of steel, but he knows a thing or two about wooden boats and gives me a thumbs-up on what I done so far.
From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick
