tug
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to pull with force or effort.
to tug at a stuck drawer.
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to strive hard; labor; toil.
noun
verb
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to pull or drag with sharp or powerful movements
the boy tugged at the door handle
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(tr) to tow (a vessel) by means of a tug
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(intr) to work; toil
noun
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a strong pull or jerk
he gave the rope a tug
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Also called: tugboat. towboat. a boat with a powerful engine, used for towing barges, ships, etc
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a hard struggle or fight
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a less common word for trace 2
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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tugsimple
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tugssimple
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have tuggedperfect
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has tuggedperfect
-
am tuggingprogressive
-
are tuggingprogressive
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is tuggingprogressive
-
have been tuggingperfect progressive
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has been tuggingperfect progressive
Past
-
tuggedsimple
-
had tuggedperfect
-
was tuggingprogressive
-
were tuggingprogressive
-
had been tuggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tug
1175–1225; Middle English toggen to play-wrestle, contend; akin to Old English togian to tow 1
Explanation
To tug is to forcefully pull or drag something. You might need your sister's help to tug your knee-high boots off at the end of a long day. A child might tug at his parent's arm and a commuter might tug a rolling suitcase behind her as she enters a subway car. Something else that tugs is a tugboat — and tug is a common nickname for these boats that are designed to pull (or push) other vessels. Tug and tow share the same root word meaning "to pull" or "to lead."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The wrecked Maginot is owned by Weyland-Yutani, the same group that operates the tug hauler Nostromo on which “Alien” unfolds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
Expect stocks to get more volatile from here as inflation, war, and a huge stock listing tug investors in various directions.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
With the Iran war now well into its third month, countries are scrambling to circumvent the geopolitical tug of war by transitioning more quickly to renewables.
From Salon ● May 16, 2026
Prediction-market operators have been in the middle of a tug of war between state and federal regulators.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
The tug grew stronger as she surveyed the room, visiting each founder's wall portrait.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
You’re doing fine, but something tugs at you from deep within.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 7, 2026
Sony Music Entertainment, which tugs at the tension between protecting intellectual property and the internet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
Tightness in the hamstrings tugs on the pelvis and can lead to buttocks and lower back pain and may put you at risk for tearing the hamstring when running or participating in sports.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2025
And yet, it still tugs at the heartstrings.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2024
Brother Worbs tugs his arm away in fright, gazes through watery eyes at Helmuth.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
This is not a museum-piece translation, a dusty tablet behind glass, but a reanimation, a voice tugged up from the clay and made to speak again in a tongue that is ours.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
After a goalless first half, the game sparked into life when Manchester United were awarded a penalty after Alex Jimenez needlessly tugged back Matheus Cunha inside the box.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026
Her mouth often pulls to the right when she speaks, her admirable non-native English tugged easterly in a Finnish accent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
"For astronomers, our go-to 'Doppler' method for weighing planets involves making careful measurements of the star's velocity as it's tugged by its retinue of planets." said Erik Petigura, a co-author from UCLA.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 31, 2026
Penelope tugged at the red velvet cape she now wore and drew it close ’round her shoulders as she made a hasty beeline for the exit.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
You can feel the vectored torque tugging at the wheel as it fights off understeer in a tight turn.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
It refers to the way a rotating black hole twists the spacetime around it, tugging on nearby matter such as stars and causing their paths to wobble.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 18, 2025
In fact, when the idea for “Pluribus” began tugging at Gilligan years ago, in the midst of “Better Call Saul,” he initially envisioned it having a male protagonist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2025
Omar Fateh steadied himself before the camera and flashed a smile between heavy blinks, the weight of a nearly sleepless night tugging at his eyelids.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2025
Hanna, the little one, ran up to me as soon as I entered, tugging at my tzitzis like I was a dog on a leash.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
