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
Relevance
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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tug
Michael Sheetz, CNBC, 15 Jan. 2025
For all the language about the transformative nature of the narcotic farms, they were hamstrung by federal policies reflecting the nation’s tug of war between treatment and punishment.
—TIME, 10 Feb. 2025
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2025
Creating music that reflects visuals has taught Mogwai that a little restraint goes a long way when tugging at heartstrings.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tug
Noun
But the company in recent years expanded into building lunar landers and space tugs.
—Michael Sheetz, CNBC, 15 Jan. 2025
For all the language about the transformative nature of the narcotic farms, they were hamstrung by federal policies reflecting the nation’s tug of war between treatment and punishment.
—TIME, 10 Feb. 2025
Verb
Film after film tugged at the fragile balance between object and admirer, the vital symbiosis between artist and audience, the vulnerability of knowing that any towering career — even Lopez’s — could topple over without anyone there to applaud.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2025
Creating music that reflects visuals has taught Mogwai that a little restraint goes a long way when tugging at heartstrings.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tug
Noun
-
Astronomers believe the flares are coming from the inner edge of the accretion disk just beyond the black hole’s event horizon, or the area around a black hole where the pull of gravity is so strong that not even light can escape, according to NASA.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN,
19 Feb. 2025
-
So strong was the pull that Angus even got on a plane and came to New York City to serenade Elsbeth and end the hour with a kiss.—
Vlada Gelman,
TVLine,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Porter, 28, helped dig a fire break to prevent the blaze from spreading and used a mule team to haul water to squelch the blaze.—
Zac Anderson,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
-
The crash was reported at 10:16 a.m. near exit 232 in Clear Creek County and involved two tractor-trailers, a Ford F350 hauling livestock and eight other vehicles, CSP officials said in a news release.—
Katie Langford,
The Denver Post,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The Broncos struggled with turnovers from the tip-off but stayed in the game by forcing similar issues out of the Aztecs.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
16 Feb. 2025
-
About two hours later the struggling animal was still at the same spot, so the resident, Patrick Hines, reported the incident to East Hampton Town police.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The resulting specs: 434 ponies and 525 lb-ft of yank.—
Sean Evans,
Robb Report,
30 Oct. 2024
-
With tugs and yanks and positive feedback, a planetary makeover began that is rampant today.—
Stephen Pyne,
Scientific American,
16 Apr. 2024
Verb
-
Swansea City have sacked head coach Luke Williams following a poor run of results since the turn of the year that has dragged the Championship club into a relegation battle.—
Stuart James,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
-
When users click and drag their cursor across the screen, random clusters of letters appear, followed by sentences that flash briefly before disappearing.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Last year, President Joe Biden and presidential candidate Kamala Harris labored to persuade voters that the historic inflation surge of 2022 was over, and that rising wages had effectively erased its effects.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA TODAY,
13 Feb. 2025
-
Should Trump be certified, unless the disability is relieved his administration will labor under a cloud of illegitimacy.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
27 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
With that put to bed, our attention turns back to the husbands, and all the new rumors from this season, like Lisa bringing up Shawn’s name in regards to circle jerks.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
29 Jan. 2025
-
Diagnosed first with Jeavons syndrome in 2018/19—a rare form of epilepsy characterized by absence seizures and eyelid jerks—a 1,000-gene epilepsy panel in 2020 revealed further health problems.—
George Monastiriakos,
Newsweek,
30 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
While its commitment is to always strive to do the right thing, in the right way, the company acknowledges that mistakes can happen.—
Chris Gallagher,
USA TODAY,
15 Feb. 2025
-
Local kids grow up striving to play football under the Friday lights, but most won’t be wearing helmets.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tug. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share