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
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Recent Examples of tug
Mike Wall, Space.com, 21 May 2025
No, because my dad grabbed the back of my shorts and yanked me to safety with the giant tug of a rescue wedgie.
—Outside Online, 21 May 2025
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 16 May 2025
Two of the city’s most prominent sports decision-makers, trying to tug their Broncos to the same heights these Nuggets have reached in recent years, were treated to some of the most putrid basketball anyone inside Ball Arena could’ve possibly imagined.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tug
Noun
Starfish's first mission, Otter Pup 1, launched on SpaceX's Transporter 8 rideshare flight in June 2023, on board a space tug operated by the California company Launcher.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 21 May 2025
No, because my dad grabbed the back of my shorts and yanked me to safety with the giant tug of a rescue wedgie.
—Outside Online, 21 May 2025
Verb
At some point, viewers feel as if they’re being tugged along instead of eagerly anticipating the next turn of events.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 16 May 2025
Two of the city’s most prominent sports decision-makers, trying to tug their Broncos to the same heights these Nuggets have reached in recent years, were treated to some of the most putrid basketball anyone inside Ball Arena could’ve possibly imagined.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tug
Noun
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There is a magnetic pull from Portugal to United, and Amorim’s move to Manchester strengthened that connection.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
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Use it to review pull requests, write unit tests, generate UI variations or polish copy.—
Kunal Abichandani,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
Verb
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Telo Trucks View 2 Images Telo's upcoming MT1 electric truck might only be as big as a two-door Mini Cooper, but it's got more than enough horses – 500, to be exact – under the hood to haul a full-size bed full of cargo.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
24 May 2025
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At the recent Lucha practice, the girls suited up quickly in the gym and set up their practice space by hauling worn mats out from under a boxing ring.—
Corey Kilgannon,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
Verb
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Experts predict an increase in space tourism over the coming decades, potentially accelerating global warming in a world already struggling to combat its effects.—
Sheetal Khedkar Rao,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2025
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While many companies have struggled to define their policies, bouncing between strict return-to-office mandates and hybrid compromises, Logitech has taken a different path.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Four yanks later, voila: Clayton had pulled free his prize, leaving just a single strand of nylon stuck in the Alamodome rim.—
Brendan Marks,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
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Each blade has a pull tab at the top of its cartridge; just give it a gentle yank to remove it.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Further afield is the prospect of an India-EU FTA, although that process has dragged on for a decade.—
Vasuki Shastry,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
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That dragged its stock down even though the company also reported a better profit for the latest quarter than expected.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2025
Verb
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Brightline has labored to increase ridership along its 170-mile extension to Orlando from West Palm Beach.—
David Lyons,
Sun Sentinel,
20 May 2025
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Each creator contributed immensely to American art and culture, while laboring in an industry that, until recently, produced very little financial rewards or respect.—
Rob Salkowitz,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Noun
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As part of Gabriel’s solution to showing Ansari’s character that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the Hollywood, the well-meaning angel body-swaps him with an uber-rich jerk, played by Seth Rogen.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
28 May 2025
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The left horse just wanted to shamble along, while the right horse pulled with frantic jerks.—
Louise Erdrich,
New Yorker,
25 May 2025
Verb
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Businesses should be able to write off the full expense of their capital investments in the year they are made, and the Senate should strive to cut spending elsewhere to balance out the revenue losses from making bonus depreciation permanent.—
The Editors,
National Review,
23 May 2025
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What Thornton is striving toward, an embrace of generosity, of humanity being able to change what faith and religion even mean, is often moving.—
Ella Kemp,
IndieWire,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tug. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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