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tug

[tuhg] /tʌg/
verb (used with object), tugged, tugging.
1.
to pull at with force, vigor, or effort.
2.
to move by pulling forcibly; drag; haul.
3.
to tow (a vessel) by means of a tugboat.
verb (used without object), tugged, tugging.
4.
to pull with force or effort:
to tug at a stuck drawer.
5.
to strive hard; labor; toil.
noun
6.
an act or instance of tugging; pull; haul.
7.
a strenuous contest between opposing forces, groups, or persons; struggle:
the tug of young minds in a seminar.
8.
tugboat.
9.
that by which something is tugged, as a rope or chain.
10.
  1. trace2 (def 1).
  2. any of various supporting or pulling parts.
Origin of tug
Middle English
1175-1225
1175-1225; Middle English toggen to play-wrestle, contend; akin to Old English togian to tow1
Related forms
tugger, noun
tugless, adjective
untugged, adjective
Synonyms
1. yank, jerk, wrench.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.
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British Dictionary definitions for tugger

tug

/tʌɡ/
verb tugs, tugging, tugged
1.
when intr, sometimes foll by at. to pull or drag with sharp or powerful movements: the boy tugged at the door handle
2.
(transitive) to tow (a vessel) by means of a tug
3.
(intransitive) to work; toil
noun
4.
a strong pull or jerk: he gave the rope a tug
5.
Also called tugboat, towboat. a boat with a powerful engine, used for towing barges, ships, etc
6.
a hard struggle or fight
7.
a less common word for trace2 (sense 1)
Derived Forms
tugger, noun
Word Origin
C13: related to Old English tēon to tow1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word Origin and History for tugger

tug

v.

early 13c., from weak grade of Old English teohan "to pull, drag," from Proto-Germanic *teukh- "pull," from PIE *deuk- "to pull, to lead" (see duke (n.)). Related to tow (v.). Related: Tugged; tugging.

tug

n.

c.1500, from tug (v.). Meaning "small steamer used to tow other vessels" is recorded from 1817. Phrase tug of war (1670s) was originally figurative, "the decisive contest, the real struggle."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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