tug
[tuhg]
- to pull at with force, vigor, or effort.
- to move by pulling forcibly; drag; haul.
- to tow (a vessel) by means of a tugboat.
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- to pull with force or effort: to tug at a stuck drawer.
- to strive hard; labor; toil.
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- an act or instance of tugging; pull; haul.
- a strenuous contest between opposing forces, groups, or persons; struggle: the tug of young minds in a seminar.
- tugboat.
- that by which something is tugged, as a rope or chain.
- (on a harness)
- trace2(def 1).
- any of various supporting or pulling parts.
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Origin of tug
Synonyms
See more synonyms for tug on Thesaurus.com1. yank, jerk, wrench.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for tug
Contemporary Examples
These men and women will no doubt cause a tug a war in time.
The White House has been mediating the tug of war between the CIA and the committee over the redaction process.
But since then it has been subject to a tug of war with the CIA.
After this Euro-Russian tug of war, the sparks ignited in Kiev and Moscow.
We must win the tug of war for these men, even if the battle is with the United Nations.
Historical Examples
She swayed forward bodily to his tug, and nearly went off the chair.
The Secret AgentJoseph Conrad
And many a tug did this lordly fear cost us both, God knows!
Clarissa, Volume 2 (of 9)Samuel Richardson
Duncan removed one hand from the pocket the better to tug at his moustache.
The Fortune HunterLouis Joseph Vance
Purplish shadows had already begun to dim the tug and dock and ocean.
The Cruise of the Dry DockT. S. Stribling
Do you mean you object to sailing this tug on account of some imaginary thing?
The Cruise of the Dry DockT. S. Stribling
tug
- (when intr, sometimes foll by at) to pull or drag with sharp or powerful movementsthe boy tugged at the door handle
- (tr) to tow (a vessel) by means of a tug
- (intr) to work; toil
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- a strong pull or jerkhe gave the rope a tug
- Also called: tugboat, towboat a boat with a powerful engine, used for towing barges, ships, etc
- a hard struggle or fight
- a less common word for trace 2 (def. 1)
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Word Origin
C13: related to Old English tēon to tow 1
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
Word Origin and History for 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."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper