tug
to pull at with force, vigor, or effort.
to move by pulling forcibly; drag; haul.
to tow (a vessel) by means of a tugboat.
to pull with force or effort: to tug at a stuck drawer.
to strive hard; labor; toil.
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.
that by which something is tugged, as a rope or chain.
(on a harness)
any of various supporting or pulling parts.
Origin of tug
1Other words for tug
Other words from tug
- tugger, noun
- tugless, adjective
- un·tugged, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use tug in a sentence
After the light turned green, I gave the bike a few tugs to make sure it was secure.
I Tried New York’s Bike-Sharing Program. And I Liked It! | Daniel Gross | May 29, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTWalking the red carpet later that night, a blogger tugs my shoulder and pushes a recorder at me.
Wyoming horseman Buck Brannaman tends to give his charges the gentlest of tugs.
Sometimes I see tabloid stuff online and it tugs at my heartstrings.
Sure, Copenhagen was big, unwieldy, and more complicated than most international tugs of words.
The expedition presented a curious sight; it comprised 15 native barges or “cascoes” towed by seven tugs.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanThe tugs backed clear of her, and lent their shrill voices to the discordant concert.
The Relief of Mafeking | Filson YoungSteam-tugs, carrying neither passengers nor freight, are substituted for the steamboat.
Let them sink all our sailing vessels, we will betake ourselves to tugs.
The Blot on the Kaiser's 'Scutcheon | Newell Dwight HillisThe Prophet waves his arms and tugs at his gown, and lo and behold!
The Necessity of Atheism | Dr. D.M. Brooks
British Dictionary definitions for tug
/ (tʌɡ) /
(when intr, sometimes foll by at) to pull or drag with sharp or powerful movements: the boy tugged at the door handle
(tr) to tow (a vessel) by means of a tug
(intr) to work; toil
a strong pull or jerk: he 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)
Origin of tug
1Derived forms of tug
- tugger, noun
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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