Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A powerful, shallow-draft boat with a broad bow, intended to push barges on rivers and canals.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Any boat employed in towing a ship or vessel; a tugboat.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A vessel constructed for being towed, as a canal boat.
  • noun A steamer used for towing other vessels; a tug.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun nautical a squat powerful boat designed to push barges
  • noun A vessel constructed for being towed, such as a canal boat.
  • noun A steamer used for towing other vessels; a tug.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger ships

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word towboat.

Examples

  • Far below, in the towboat, Andre starts waving his arms.

    Squall Susan Rukeyser 2012

  • She's the great-granddaughter of a legendary towboat captain.

    Eden Brent: Carefree Blues With Mississippi Flavor 2010

  • This set of four towboat can Bryh place and connect it with cable below sea level on the well placed and eventually be sent down.

    James Cameron Finds Christ’s Coffin 2010

  • She's the great-granddaughter of a legendary towboat captain.

    Eden Brent: Carefree Blues With Mississippi Flavor 2010

  • As the towboat starts tugging the yacht away from the dock, there's a loud buzzing sound and the target boat's twin engines come alive.

    Captain Repo 2009

  • Minutes after the snatch, the towboat and target are motoring out of the harbor at six knots, while Lamel ignites a Winston Light.

    Captain Repo 2009

  • "Everyone owns a gun around here," Lamel says nervously as the towboat pulls alongside the target.

    Captain Repo 2009

  • When I was growing up in the Mississippi Delta, noir — that distinctive shimmer of darkness, beauty and danger — was the night drive to Oxford past the state prison at Parchman, when the spotlight of a passing towboat would sweep slowly over the cotton fields.

    Living With Music: A Playlist by John Buntin - Paper Cuts Blog - NYTimes.com 2009

  • Three partners advance by sea in a 22-foot towboat.

    Captain Repo 2009

  • Meanwhile, a scared-looking dock manager comes running toward the boat, so Lamel hops off the towboat to show him the paperwork authorizing the seizure.

    Captain Repo 2009

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.