barge

/bɑrdʒ/

/bɑdʒ/

Other forms: barges; barged; barging

A barge is a big, flat boat that can transport heavy goods over water. You might see a barge carrying a load of new cars down a river.

Barges are useful for moving very heavy things along canals and rivers. A typical barge can hold more than a thousand tons of cargo, so it's ideal for bulky, weighty goods. Barge is also a verb, meaning both "move by barge" and "shove forward," as when you barge in the door of a crowded party or barge into your brother's room just to bother him. The root is believed to be the Greek baris, "Egyptian boat."

Definitions of barge

1. noun

   a flatbottom boat for carrying heavy loads (especially on canals)
   synonyms: flatboat, hoy, lighter

   types:

   dredger

   a barge (or a vessel resembling a barge) that is used for dredging

   houseboat

   a barge that is designed and equipped for use as a dwelling

   pontoon

   (nautical) a floating structure (as a flat-bottomed boat) that serves as a dock or to support a bridge

   scow

   a barge carrying bulk materials in an open hold

   Norfolk wherry, wherry

   sailing barge used especially in East Anglia

   type of:

   boat

   a small vessel for travel on water
2. verb

   transport by barge on a body of water
   type of:

   send, ship, transport

   transport commercially
3. verb

   push one's way
   “she barged into the meeting room”

   synonyms: push forward, thrust ahead

   type of:

   belt along, bucket along, cannonball along, hasten, hie, hotfoot, pelt along, race, rush, rush along, speed, step on it

   move fast