tug

[tuhg]

See more synonyms for tug on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), tugged, tug·ging.

to pull at with force, vigor, or effort.
to move by pulling forcibly; drag; haul.
to tow (a vessel) by means of a tugboat.

verb (used without object), tugged, tug·ging.

to pull with force or effort: to tug at a stuck drawer.
to strive hard; labor; toil.

noun

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)
1. trace²(def 1).
2. any of various supporting or pulling parts.

Origin of tug

1175–1225; Middle English toggen to play-wrestle, contend; akin to Old English togian to tow¹

Related formstug·ger, nountug·less, adjectiveun·tugged, adjective

Synonyms for tug

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1. yank, jerk, wrench.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for tugged

draw, jerk, tow, traction, strain, drag, haul, wrench, lug, toil, heave, yank

Examples from the Web for tugged

Contemporary Examples of tugged

She tugged on the black rope that wrapped around his thighs and torso, her leather gloves creaking with each adjustment.
Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau
Ian Frisch
December 20, 2014
As I was coming out, my sister [Valerie] tugged on me and said, ‘That’s the boy who kicked me off my bicycle.
Joe Biden: ‘I’ll Kill Your Son’
Olivia Nuzzi
December 12, 2014
Ted tugged at the brass buttons of her red, wool-crepe dress.
‘Tracing the Blue Light’: Read Chapter 1 of Eileen Cronin’s ‘Mermaid’
Eileen Cronin
April 8, 2014
The handcuffs required her to reach with both hands as she tugged up the left leg of her stockings.
‘Bomb Mom’ Morgan Gliedman Arraigned in Manhattan Court
Michael Daly
January 9, 2013
Then the girl reached into her mountain trousers and tugged at her clothing.
Ralph Nader, Novelist
Samuel P. Jacobs
September 12, 2009

Historical Examples of tugged

He glowered at his fate, and tugged his tawny moustache for some time in silence.
Viviette
William J. Locke
Dick glowered sullenly at the wall and tugged his great moustache.
Viviette
William J. Locke
He tugged at his collar as if to breathe the easier, cleared his throat and began again.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith
Though each guest tugged with all his might, he tugged in vain.
Opera Stories from Wagner
Florence Akin
Frantically he tugged and tore at the slimy rope, hauling with a will and a prayer.
The Black Bag
Louis Joseph Vance

British Dictionary definitions for tugged

tug

verb tugs, tugging or tugged

(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

noun

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)

Derived Formstugger, noun

Word Origin for tug

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 tugged

tug

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

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."