tugged; tugging
1
: to pull or strain hard at
3
: to tow with a tugboat
tugger
noun
tugrik, tugriks
Synonyms
Examples of tug in a Sentence
Verb
I felt someone tugging on my sleeve.
She tugged the cord until the plug came out of the wall socket.
Noun
He felt a gentle tug on his sleeve.
gave the man in front a tug on his shirtsleeve as a sign that he was supposed to step aside
Recent Examples on the Web
Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
For Jorge Gonzalez, a college course on the ethno-history of Oaxaca first gave him answers to questions that had been tugging at him for a long time.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2024
Dietrich sees many people in the modern world being tugged in a hundred directions.
—Meimei Fox, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
The 360-degree rotary dual-blade system and 9,000 RPM motor cut through hair quickly and easily without pulling or tugging the skin.
—Lindsay Modglin, Verywell Health, 8 Apr. 2024
From there, the policemen pulled and tugged Pierson halfway across the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge that stretches across the Rio Grande, their toes nearing a yellow line on the pavement that marks the actual divide of nations.
—Beth Warren, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
For example, when speaking to the German Bundestag, Zelensky referenced the Berlin Wall as well as the Holocaust, a deliberate attempt to tug at the heartstrings and win over the German public.
—Carmine Gallo, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
The first debris lift – which involves using a using a 160-ton crane – marks the beginning of a long process toward reopening the port to tug and barge traffic, Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath of the US Coast Guard said at the Saturday news conference.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
Ledoux said moving the ship would require a damage assessment once the bridge parts are removed, including divers checking for damage underwater, and then clearance from authorities to tug the boat.
—Rachel Weiner, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
In recent months, a tug of war over professional sports unleashed untold sturm und/or drang upon our nation’s capital.
—Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
All this should provide some perspective on the partisan tug of war staged by the Republican Party over IRS funding in recent years.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
The sort of tug between having a Bay Area tribe on stage to get the land acknowledgement and then having somebody come on stage to talk about his history as a border patrol agent is awkward.
—Makena Kelly, WIRED, 28 Mar. 2024
Although the Dali can cruise around 22 mph, the captain, a harbor pilot and an apprentice pilot kept the speed about 9 mph as the tugs cast off their lines and returned to the port for their next assignment.
—USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024
When Velez was around 3 years old, Church started running construction tugs.
—Journal Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2024
Michelle Rodrigues, a biological anthropologist at Marquette University who wasn’t involved in the study, told me that the team’s work has prompted her to rethink her own interactions with her spider-monkey study subjects, who would sometimes sneak over to playfully tug on her hair.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2024
That includes seven floating cranes, 10 tugs, nine barges, eight salvage vessels and five Coast Guard boats, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN, 30 Mar. 2024
Verb
All of it tugged at Mr. Johnson’s sense of Christian faith.
—Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
For Jorge Gonzalez, a college course on the ethno-history of Oaxaca first gave him answers to questions that had been tugging at him for a long time.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2024
Dietrich sees many people in the modern world being tugged in a hundred directions.
—Meimei Fox, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
The 360-degree rotary dual-blade system and 9,000 RPM motor cut through hair quickly and easily without pulling or tugging the skin.
—Lindsay Modglin, Verywell Health, 8 Apr. 2024
From there, the policemen pulled and tugged Pierson halfway across the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge that stretches across the Rio Grande, their toes nearing a yellow line on the pavement that marks the actual divide of nations.
—Beth Warren, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
For example, when speaking to the German Bundestag, Zelensky referenced the Berlin Wall as well as the Holocaust, a deliberate attempt to tug at the heartstrings and win over the German public.
—Carmine Gallo, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
The first debris lift – which involves using a using a 160-ton crane – marks the beginning of a long process toward reopening the port to tug and barge traffic, Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath of the US Coast Guard said at the Saturday news conference.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
Ledoux said moving the ship would require a damage assessment once the bridge parts are removed, including divers checking for damage underwater, and then clearance from authorities to tug the boat.
—Rachel Weiner, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
Oakland airport’s identity crisis has two cities in a tug of war
Nine of the top 20 best airports are in Europe, including Vienna, Madrid and Istanbul.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
In recent months, a tug of war over professional sports unleashed untold sturm und/or drang upon our nation’s capital.
—Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
All this should provide some perspective on the partisan tug of war staged by the Republican Party over IRS funding in recent years.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
The sort of tug between having a Bay Area tribe on stage to get the land acknowledgement and then having somebody come on stage to talk about his history as a border patrol agent is awkward.
—Makena Kelly, WIRED, 28 Mar. 2024
Although the Dali can cruise around 22 mph, the captain, a harbor pilot and an apprentice pilot kept the speed about 9 mph as the tugs cast off their lines and returned to the port for their next assignment.
—USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024
When Velez was around 3 years old, Church started running construction tugs.
—Journal Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2024
Michelle Rodrigues, a biological anthropologist at Marquette University who wasn’t involved in the study, told me that the team’s work has prompted her to rethink her own interactions with her spider-monkey study subjects, who would sometimes sneak over to playfully tug on her hair.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2024
That includes seven floating cranes, 10 tugs, nine barges, eight salvage vessels and five Coast Guard boats, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN, 30 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tug.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tug
Cite this Entry
“Tug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tug. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
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