as in pull
the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force
gave the man in front a tug on his shirtsleeve as a sign that he was supposed to step aside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in to struggle
to devote serious and sustained effort
she's tugged all her life to get to where she is now in the business world
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tug
Ashley Strickland, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024
But that policy tug of war didn’t materialize during their brief meeting.
—Adam Nagourney, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2025
Toni Sutton, People.com, 11 Jan. 2025
In the end, Johnson’s fist was the one being tugged into the air.
—Alec Lewis, The Athletic, 1 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for tug 
Noun
The constant flexing of Jupiter’s tug on Io generates immense energy, which would melt part of the moon’s interior, Bolton said.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024
But that policy tug of war didn’t materialize during their brief meeting.
—Adam Nagourney, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2025
Verb
Simply open your car door, tug off the sheet and let the snow and ice slide away.
—Toni Sutton, People.com, 11 Jan. 2025
In the end, Johnson’s fist was the one being tugged into the air.
—Alec Lewis, The Athletic, 1 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for tug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tug
Noun
-
Metals are a great way to introduce a subtle pop of shine into your kitchen, whether through practical accessories such as trays or more integral elements like cabinet pulls.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Feb. 2025
-
This total ubiquity of access to the attentional pull of our phones is genuinely new.—
Stuart Miller,
Orange County Register,
3 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Milk, which had been received there, is now being hauled to Winsted while other operations of the local plant remain unchanged.—
Contributed Content,
Twin Cities,
6 Feb. 2025
-
Several autonomous truck companies, including Aurora, Kodiak and Torc Robotics, are already hauling customer cargo on test routes.—
Joann Muller,
Axios,
4 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
About two hours later the struggling animal was still at the same spot, so the resident, Patrick Hines, reported the incident to East Hampton Town police.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
16 Feb. 2025
-
The Broncos struggled with turnovers from the tip-off but stayed in the game by forcing similar issues out of the Aztecs.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The resulting specs: 434 ponies and 525 lb-ft of yank.—
Sean Evans,
Robb Report,
30 Oct. 2024
-
With tugs and yanks and positive feedback, a planetary makeover began that is rampant today.—
Stephen Pyne,
Scientific American,
16 Apr. 2024
Verb
-
Swansea City have sacked head coach Luke Williams following a poor run of results since the turn of the year that has dragged the Championship club into a relegation battle.—
Stuart James,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
-
When users click and drag their cursor across the screen, random clusters of letters appear, followed by sentences that flash briefly before disappearing.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Last year, President Joe Biden and presidential candidate Kamala Harris labored to persuade voters that the historic inflation surge of 2022 was over, and that rising wages had effectively erased its effects.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA TODAY,
13 Feb. 2025
-
Should Trump be certified, unless the disability is relieved his administration will labor under a cloud of illegitimacy.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
27 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Diagnosed first with Jeavons syndrome in 2018/19—a rare form of epilepsy characterized by absence seizures and eyelid jerks—a 1,000-gene epilepsy panel in 2020 revealed further health problems.—
George Monastiriakos,
Newsweek,
30 Dec. 2024
-
My job was to go over there and not be a jerk and try to advance the stand-up ball a couple of yards for the next guy that comes over there.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
14 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
While its commitment is to always strive to do the right thing, in the right way, the company acknowledges that mistakes can happen.—
Chris Gallagher,
USA TODAY,
15 Feb. 2025
-
Local kids grow up striving to play football under the Friday lights, but most won’t be wearing helmets.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near tug
Cite this Entry
“Tug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tug. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share