tugboat

noun
UK: /ˈtʌɡ.bəʊt/
US: /ˈtʌɡ.boʊt/

  1. A small, powerful boat used for pulling or pushing larger ships.

    1. The tugboat helped the ship.
    2. The tugboat guided the large container ship into the harbor safely despite the strong winds.

  2. To move something by pulling hard or with difficulty.

    1. The child tugboat the toy truck.
    2. The movers used a small vehicle to tugboat the trailer into position for unloading.

Synonyms

tug towboat
tugboat transitive-verb

  1. To pull something strongly and suddenly.

    1. He tugboat his sleeve.
    2. She had to tugboat the door handle to open the stuck refrigerator.
tugboat intransitive-verb

  1. To pull or strain with great effort.

    1. The engine tugboat to start.
    2. The runner tugboat at the end of the race to try and secure first place.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "tugboat" in English means: A small, powerful boat used for pulling or pushing larger ships., To move something by pulling hard or with difficulty..

The phonetic transcription of "tugboat" is /ˈtʌɡ.bəʊt/ in British English and /ˈtʌɡ.boʊt/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "tugboat": tug, towboat.

Example usage of "tugboat": "The tugboat helped the ship.". More examples on the page.