What does tugboat mean?
tugboat
Plural: tugboats
Synonyms: tug
Definition
A small, powerful boat that pulls or pushes big ships in and out of a harbor.
Example sentences
I held my breath watching the captain manoeuvre his tug between those two tankers with barely a metre to spare.
That ship's been sitting outside the harbour since lunch — it can't dock till the tugboats come out.
That ship's been sitting outside the harbour since lunch — it can't dock till the tugboats come out.
The old guy who runs the tackle shop spent thirty years on a tugboat — ask him about the night the towline snapped.