tug

[ tuhg ]

/ tʌg /

See synonyms for: tug / tugged / tugging 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)

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

SYNONYMS FOR tug

1 yank, jerk, wrench.

See synonyms for tug on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of tug

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

OTHER WORDS FROM tug

tugger, nountugless, adjectiveun·tugged, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for tug

Our exoplanet-searching techniques look for the effect of planets on their host star, either through a cyclical gravitational tug, or by periodically blinking out some of the star’s light.
We’re the Cosmic 1 Percent But Our Solar System Isn’t a Complete Weirdo - Facts So Romantic|Sean Raymond|January 5, 2021|Nautilus
Like Stanberry, his job was to unload packages from shipping containers pulled by motorized tugs.
A Temp Worker Died on the Job After FedEx Didn’t Fix a Known Hazard. The Fine: $7,000.|by Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism|December 23, 2020|ProPublica
Even if containers weren’t fully unloaded, the tug would move forward, witnesses told TOSHA.
A Temp Worker Died on the Job After FedEx Didn’t Fix a Known Hazard. The Fine: $7,000.|by Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism|December 23, 2020|ProPublica
To remove the byssus, grasp it with your thumb and forefinger or between your thumb and the blade of a paring knife and give a sharp tug toward the hinged end of the shell.
Mussels are simple to prepare, and add tasty drama to the table|Martha Holmberg|October 29, 2020|Washington Post

For all of the tumult we’ve seen since, his approval ratings have barely budged, caught a bit below-center in a tug-of-war between two incredibly strong forces.
Five falsehoods spurring Republican concern about the election|Philip Bump|October 15, 2020|Washington Post
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Then the girl reached into her mountain trousers and tugged at her clothing.
Ralph Nader, Novelist|Samuel P. Jacobs|September 12, 2009|DAILY BEAST
He tugged at his bonds, but they were fastened so securely that he could not start them.
Wyoming|Edward Sylvester Ellis
But they tugged away at the anchor windlass till the flukes let go the bottom and the anchor was halfway up.
The Last of the Flatboats|George Cary Eggleston
There he turned on his back, squirmed and rocked on the crocuses, and tugged at the unaccustomed collar.
Greyfriars Bobby|Eleanor Atkinson
She tugged at her brother's coat-tails in the very nick of time, with the result that his whole body once again hove into view.
Werwolves|Elliott O'Donnell
As the sheep were stripped, they were tugged to the fire and branded from the bubbling tar with the smet mark of the Ritsons.
A Son of Hagar|Sir Hall Caine

British Dictionary definitions for tug

tug

/ (tʌɡ) /

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 forms of tug

tugger, 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

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tug

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

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

noun

SYNONYMS FOR tug

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Origin of tug

OTHER WORDS FROM tug

Example sentences from the Web for tug

British Dictionary definitions for tug

verb tugs, tugging or tugged

noun

Derived forms of tug

Word Origin for tug

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

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WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

tug

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

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

noun

SYNONYMS FOR tug

QUIZZES

LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!

Origin of tug

OTHER WORDS FROM tug

Words related to tug

Example sentences from the Web for tug

British Dictionary definitions for tug

verb tugs, tugging or tugged

noun

Derived forms of tug

Word Origin for tug