tugboat

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

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

Etymology

From tug + boat. Sense 2 from monthly tugboat, a reference to the saying "our ship has come in," here referring to a small, "reliable" "tugboat" instead of a large windfall.

In classic literature

Synonyms

tug, towboat, tower

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