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
Jonathan O’Callaghan, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2025
Indestructible ring ball: $24.99 Big dogs who like to play tug or chew their toys will love this indestructible ring ball.
—Christopher Murray, Fox News, 18 Feb. 2025
Valerie Mesa, People.com, 10 Jan. 2025
The inclusion of handles on two sides of the cubes helps travelers tug their packing cube out of a tightly packed backpack or duffle.
—Mike Arnot, AFAR Media, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tug
Noun
Doing so could allow the density of the asteroid to be calculated, based on its gravitational tug on the spacecraft.
—Jonathan O’Callaghan, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2025
Indestructible ring ball: $24.99 Big dogs who like to play tug or chew their toys will love this indestructible ring ball.
—Christopher Murray, Fox News, 18 Feb. 2025
Verb
Astrologer Valerie Mesa shares your love horoscope for the month of January
Comments
The first month of 2025 is in full swing, and your January love horoscope is swirling with dreamy transits that could tug on your heartstrings.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 10 Jan. 2025
The inclusion of handles on two sides of the cubes helps travelers tug their packing cube out of a tightly packed backpack or duffle.
—Mike Arnot, AFAR Media, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tug
Noun
-
The comedy is so wonderfully weightless as to seem entirely free from the gravitational pull of the history that had preoccupied Wilde’s family, and of a place called Ireland, where the unfortunately unavailable food was not the cucumber but the potato.—
Fintan O'Toole,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
-
For a song that is so personal and meaningful, having a hat pull focus would not have fit the vision.—
Kinsey Jasnoch,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
But, again, not necessarily with the need to sweep the previous area under some rug to be hauled away with the remaining remnants of Miami Arena.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Mar. 2025
-
The crew of the Groningen, along with a U.S. Coast Guard crew embedded on the ship, intercepted a speed boat with five people on board, and hauling about 6,220 pounds of cocaine, according to the agency.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Still, with fewer employees, the department may struggle to meet the demands of a growing number of applicants.—
Scott White,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
-
England have struggled at the latter position in recent years, and with Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall out injured until next season, Spence could be Tuchel’s best option there already.—
Oliver Kay,
The Athletic,
13 Mar. 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
-
The Steelers have shown little urgency, both before free agency and now as the Rodgers saga drags on, to sign Wilson.—
Mike DeFabo,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
-
The impact dragged the scooter several feet before coming to a stop.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Patterson had labored on the project for years, enlarging it at one point into a seven episode mini-series, before shrinking it back down again.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2025
-
Also headed to Vijayawada was a group of laboring youths from Khagaria, in Bihar.—
Amitava Kumar,
The New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
What a jerk! Neagley fares better, dispatching two button men sent to kill her in her Windy City high-rise office.—
Chris Klimek,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2025
-
If anyone other than Rudd were playing her selfish dad, audiences would be actively rooting for the jerk to get ’corned.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Kyiv has been striving to prove its readiness for peace while stressing that no deal can succeed without American security guarantees to deter repeat Russian aggression.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2025
-
As artificial intelligence significantly impacts industries, business leaders strive to adopt this technology immediately to remain competitive.—
Alexandr Khomich,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tug. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share