as in pull
the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force
gave the man in front a tug on his shirtsleeve as a sign that he was supposed to step aside
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in to struggle
to devote serious and sustained effort
she's tugged all her life to get to where she is now in the business world
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of tug
Sandy Carter, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
An airport worker was critically hurt when a passenger plane hit a tug at one of the nation’s busiest airports, according to Chicago Police.
—Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2025
Krystal Nurse, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2025
Use gentle pressure, and do not rub or tug at your lashes.
Remove the cotton pad.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tug
Noun
There is always a tug of war with regulation, goverance and innovation.
4.
—Sandy Carter, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
An airport worker was critically hurt when a passenger plane hit a tug at one of the nation’s busiest airports, according to Chicago Police.
—Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2025
Verb
America's beloved animals bring mourning periods Neb isn't the only animal whose death tugged at people's heartstrings.
—Krystal Nurse, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2025
Use gentle pressure, and do not rub or tug at your lashes.
Remove the cotton pad.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tug
Noun
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For every pushing movement, such as push-ups or overhead presses, include a pulling movement such as rows or band pull-aparts.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
18 Apr. 2025
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Plus, Hunter swapped the antiquated pull chain for a sleek remote control.—
Erika Owen,
Architectural Digest,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Everything appeared to be playing into United’s hands as the match wore on, but with 20 minutes of normal time remaining, Corentin Tolisso’s header hauled Lyon back into the contest.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
18 Apr. 2025
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The top 2 feet of dirt at the Michigan Avenue site was scraped off and hauled away because of contamination from lead paint peelings from the houses that once stood there.—
Mike Hendricks,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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And their struggling offense is becoming a major concern.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
18 Apr. 2025
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Behind her glamorous exterior, the real Dorothy was a closeted lesbian who struggled with substance abuse and was mistreated by the men within Hollywood’s studio system before ultimately committing suicide.—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Four yanks later, voila: Clayton had pulled free his prize, leaving just a single strand of nylon stuck in the Alamodome rim.—
Brendan Marks,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
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Each blade has a pull tab at the top of its cartridge; just give it a gentle yank to remove it.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The longer the trade war drags on, the more likely Washington and Beijing will find other ways to retaliate beyond economics.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
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Paleontologists used to wonder if some marine reptiles did the same, awkwardly dragging themselves onto beaches to lay eggs rather than birthing their young at sea like whales do.—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Then there are interviews, scoops, and other kinds of highly specific reporting; a reporter might labor for months to unearth new information, only for A.I. to hoover it up and fold it into some bland summary.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2025
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Tribal leaders have long labored to be treated as equals by American politicians.—
Sheryl Gay Stolberg,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But this Ron Howard was an alternate universe version of Ron Howard, who instead of being notoriously nice, is sort of a jerk.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2025
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Someone actually just said to me that all the men in the book are jerks.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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If a cell harbors many black morphogens, for example, and a neighboring cell harbors few of them, then the molecules strive to move such that they are distributed as evenly as possible.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
16 Apr. 2025
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The school could strive for excellence and integrity while doing fewer things.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tug. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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