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 tugged
Contemporary Examples
She tugged on the black rope that wrapped around his thighs and torso, her leather gloves creaking with each adjustment.
As I was coming out, my sister [Valerie] tugged on me and said, ‘That’s the boy who kicked me off my bicycle.
Ted tugged at the brass buttons of her red, wool-crepe dress.
The handcuffs required her to reach with both hands as she tugged up the left leg of her stockings.
Then the girl reached into her mountain trousers and tugged at her clothing.
Historical Examples
He glowered at his fate, and tugged his tawny moustache for some time in silence.
VivietteWilliam J. Locke
Dick glowered sullenly at the wall and tugged his great moustache.
VivietteWilliam J. Locke
He tugged at his collar as if to breathe the easier, cleared his throat and began again.
The UnderdogF. Hopkinson Smith
Though each guest tugged with all his might, he tugged in vain.
Opera Stories from WagnerFlorence Akin
Frantically he tugged and tore at the slimy rope, hauling with a will and a prayer.
The Black BagLouis Joseph Vance
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 tugged
tug
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