tug

[ tuhg ]

/ tʌg /

Save This Word!

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR tug

1 yank, jerk, wrench.

See synonyms for tug on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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. 2023

How to use tug in a sentence

Young was the worker at the end of the line, and as the tug driver pulled forward, packages in the last container fell out, pushing the partially locked door over the grated walkway and into Young’s leg.
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
Stanberry stood on a grated catwalk just inches from the shipping containers and the tug.
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

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