1
as in pulling
to cause to follow by applying steady force on
tugged on the door until it opened
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in laboring
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 tugging
Jupiter's moons are in a chain of orbital resonances that could only have formed by the moons tugging gently on each other in passing over a long period of time, and crater records also suggest that Jupiter's moons are very, very old.
—
Kiona N. Smith, Space.com, 29 May 2026
But that can’t account for comparable rises in nations that haven’t adopted such policies; average maternal age has also risen in countries around the world without tugging up gestational diabetes in the same way.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026
To harvest, use pruning shears, scissors, or a knife to cut cucumbers from the vine, rather than pulling them off, as tugging can harm the plant.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 23 May 2026
Before the film's presentation, the actress was seen playfully tugging at her husband's blazer.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
The gel formula swipes onto the lids without any skipping or tugging, giving you ample time to smudge, sculpt, or sharpen the line before the brand’s patented PermaLock Technology sets it into a waterproof, transfer-proof, and smudge-proof finish.
—Jailynn Taylor, Allure, 10 May 2026
The rejection hit me hard—the story, of the daughter of a celebrity chef who moves to a small town after being adopted by her older brother, was really tugging at my heartstrings.
—Literary Hub, 7 May 2026
Earlier this month, Chelsea Women’s head coach Sonia Bompastor took umbrage with Arsenal’s Katie McCabe tugging the locks of Alyssa Thompson during a Champions League tie.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 4 May 2026
Love & Other Drugs (2010) Edward Zwick’s Love & Other Drugs is a mixed bag, attempting to skewer the pharmaceutical world at the advent of Viagra while also being a heart-tugging romantic comedy.
—Chris Feil, Vulture, 1 May 2026
Kiona N. Smith, Space.com, 29 May 2026
But that can’t account for comparable rises in nations that haven’t adopted such policies; average maternal age has also risen in countries around the world without tugging up gestational diabetes in the same way.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026
To harvest, use pruning shears, scissors, or a knife to cut cucumbers from the vine, rather than pulling them off, as tugging can harm the plant.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 23 May 2026
Before the film's presentation, the actress was seen playfully tugging at her husband's blazer.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
The gel formula swipes onto the lids without any skipping or tugging, giving you ample time to smudge, sculpt, or sharpen the line before the brand’s patented PermaLock Technology sets it into a waterproof, transfer-proof, and smudge-proof finish.
—Jailynn Taylor, Allure, 10 May 2026
The rejection hit me hard—the story, of the daughter of a celebrity chef who moves to a small town after being adopted by her older brother, was really tugging at my heartstrings.
—Literary Hub, 7 May 2026
Earlier this month, Chelsea Women’s head coach Sonia Bompastor took umbrage with Arsenal’s Katie McCabe tugging the locks of Alyssa Thompson during a Champions League tie.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 4 May 2026
Love & Other Drugs (2010) Edward Zwick’s Love & Other Drugs is a mixed bag, attempting to skewer the pharmaceutical world at the advent of Viagra while also being a heart-tugging romantic comedy.
—Chris Feil, Vulture, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tugging
Verb
-
Some families are pulling back on travel as gas and groceries get more expensive worldwide.—
Anton L. Delgado,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
-
Down 3-0, the notion of the Padres pulling this one out seemed outdated.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
With evacuation shelters reaching capacity as more than 40,000 people were asked to leave their homes, officials laboring to prevent an explosion at a crippled chemical tank in Garden Grove reported tentative progress Sunday in ending the crisis.—
Deborah Netburn,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
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Makar has played in every game this postseason, but was clearly laboring in Game 5 against the Minnesota Wild.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
Verb
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May brought news that trucking prices are hauling upward, and fast.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2026
-
Beekeepers began hauling their hives cross-country to pollinate everything from orchard fruits and nuts, to berries, melons, squashes, sunflowers, cotton, clover, alfalfa, and seed crops.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
After more than five innings of the Bulldogs trailing Liberty by one, struggling to get anything going, the Georgia third baseman crushed a two-run home run to left field.—
Sarah Spencer,
AJC.com,
1 June 2026
-
Hezbollah's use of hard-to-detect fiber optic drones has been deadly for the Israeli military, which is struggling to respond.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Instead of running quietly in the background, sleep evangelists are shouting about its importance from the rooftops, and neuroscientists are dragging it out into the light of day on TED Talk stages for further dissection.—
Sharon Brandwein,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
-
Nasdaq shares tumbled more than 5% in the session, dragging the stock into the red week to date.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
2 June 2026
Verb
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The multi-million dollar production process on this asset alone showcases the level of detail that Xbox is striving to achieve with this game, according to Activision chief marketing officer Tyler Bahl.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
28 May 2026
-
As for the Cavaliers, their partnership with The Realest involves both organizations striving to achieve two goals.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
Verb
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Advocacy is rising in a similar fashion around AI with initiatives like the No Fakes Act, a bill championed by SAG-AFTRA and others in Hollywood that is is working its way through Congress.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
31 May 2026
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Rescue teams from Laos and neighboring Thailand have been working together in the last week at the site in a rugged area in the central province of Xaisomboun, about 75 miles north of the capital, Vientiane.—
Jintamas Saksornchai,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Danny is, once again, drinking and trying to hide it.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
4 June 2026
-
The Knicks are trying to win their first NBA title since 1973, while the Spurs last ruled the NBA in 2014.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tugging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tugging. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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