tug

[ tuhg ]

/ tʌg /

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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

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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. 2023

How to use tug in a sentence

He’s had a clear view of rules discussions throughout his career, including the recent tug between expanding the playoffs or not.
If the MLB playoffs are expanded, Max Scherzer wants to try a round-robin format|Jesse Dougherty|February 18, 2021|Washington Post
The rioters pulled at least two of the Capitol Police officers in riot gear into the crowd, stealing their batons and pepper spray and setting off a kind of human tug of war, before other officers were eventually able to pull their colleagues out.
“I Don’t Trust the People Above Me”: Riot Squad Cops Open Up About Disastrous Response to Capitol Insurrection|by Joaquin Sapien and Joshua Kaplan|February 12, 2021|ProPublica
He approached one of the women, according to court papers, and tried to yank fliers from her hand, resulting in a tug of war over the papers before the woman was able to pull back from Brennan with the fliers, according to police.
Bethesda bike-trail assailant receives probation for attack in flier-snatching case|Dan Morse|February 2, 2021|Washington Post
A tug-of-war between distribution and supply may emerge in coming months, but in the United States, leaders of Operation Warp Speed are already anticipating the possibility of a surplus of vaccine.
Companies scramble to expand coronavirus vaccine supply|Carolyn Y. Johnson|January 14, 2021|Washington Post

When a worker signaled for the tug operator to pull forward, six workers stood with their backs to the conveyor belts, per the safety protocol.
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 with all her comforts and a constant, tugging ennui, Mei knows the risks that she faces as an ernai.
China’s Concubine Culture Lives On in Mistress Villages|Brendon Hong|April 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Heart-tugging tales about her own six-year-old son, Cole, who was born with Down Syndrome.
It’s Not the President’s Speech That Makes News but the Reactions to It|Michelle Cottle|January 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Throughout, the investigation churns on, tugging us along with it.
‘Broadchurch’ Is Great TV for Fans of ‘Downton Abbey,’ ‘Doctor Who,’ and ‘Prime Suspect’|Andrew Romano|August 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Those images stayed with her, tugging at her, she says, to go back one day and help.
A Fashionista’s India Dream: Indrani Changes the Fate of Forgotten Girls|Abigail Pesta|July 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Sharp increase though that may be, the forces that have kept the city quiet for the past 11 months have hardly stopped tugging.
Syrian Revolt Gains Traction as Tribe by Tribe Unrest Reaches Aleppo|Katie Paul, Rana Riziq|February 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
For Mrs. Robin had an end of a pinkish-white worm in her bill, on which she was tugging as hard as she could.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
A fifty-mile breeze lashed us spitefully, tugging at our shirt-sleeves and drowning our voices, while we halted on that pinnacle.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Stop and try a ride, Billy, urged Lance Darby, holding the cord of the tugging kite.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison
Eloise was puzzled, but the sight of Mrs. Biggs tugging at her wet satchel to open it diverted her mind.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes
She was tugging at her bonnet strings, which were entangled in a knot, into which the cord of her eyeglasses had become twisted.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes

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