tug
verb
\
Definition of tug
(Entry 1 of 3)
1 : to pull or strain hard at
3 : to tow with a tugboat
tug
nounDefinition of tug (Entry 2 of 3)
Tug
abbreviationDefinition of Tug (Entry 3 of 3)
tugrik, tugriks
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Synonyms & Antonyms for tug
Synonyms: Verb
drag, draw, hale, haul, lug, pull, tow
Synonyms: Noun
draw, haul, jerk, pluck, pull, wrench, yank
Antonyms: Verb
Antonyms: Noun
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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: Verb
Go Searcher used to accompany these drone ships when they were tugged back to shore as a support vessel. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "SpaceX’s helipad-equipped boat will bring astronauts safely home," 5 Nov. 2018 Dalton has gotten new feet. Warped, alien, pulled, and tugged feet to be exact. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "Fecal Matter Has Made Its Photoshopped Skin Shoes Into Actual Wearable Heels—And They're $10,000," 24 Oct. 2018 Also: make sure your accessories don't tug on and rip your hair. — Jihan Forbes, Allure, "13 Cute Hair Accessories & Head Wraps That Protect Your Hair," 21 Aug. 2018 Around that time in 2014, another idea tugged at her heart. — Serena Solomon, Woman's Day, "Breast Cancer Changed Ronda Carter's Life; Now, She's Doing the Same for Others," 24 Sep. 2018 For poet and artist Claudia Rankine and photographer John Lucas, tugging at the thread of the blonde phenomenon has been a roving mission over the last couple years. — Laura Regensdorf, Vogue, "Why Blonde Privilege Is Real, From Barbie to the White House," 24 July 2018 The teens repeat the call, then rhythmically tug the line, slowly, steadily, raising the boat’s mainsail and boom, a combined weight of some 3,000 pounds. — Billboard, "Aboard the Clearwater: Five Decades of Environmental Activism Rooted In Music," 13 June 2018 Gilmore tugged up her shorts and waded into the basin, sandals sinking deep into chocolatey mud. — Ben Goldfarb, Science | AAAS, "Beaver dams without beavers? Artificial logjams are a popular but controversial restoration tool," 7 June 2018 Orlando Cortez puffed out his chest and tugged at his vest, striking a pose in front of a mirror. — Krista Torralva, San Antonio Express-News, "Students get outfitted for prom with a non-profit’s help," 12 May 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Ferry service was halted for about six hours until the Salish freed itself and tug boats relocated it to Port Townsend. — Asia Fields, The Seattle Times, "Ferry runs aground at Coupeville terminal; no one hurt, but boat needs repair," 11 Sep. 2018 In the tug of war between workers and investors, Americans living on a paycheck have seldom been left with a shorter end of the rope. — Patricia Cohen, New York Times, "Paychecks Lag as Profits Soar, and Prices Erode Wage Gains," 13 July 2018 The tug-of-war between transparency and obscurity is turning out to be one of the defining stories of this election. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "One way Twitter’s ad archive improves on Facebook’s," 3 Nov. 2018 Biggest professional motivator: The ceaseless tug-of-war between will and representation. — Michaela Bechler, Vogue, "Shop Fall Fashion Inspired by 14 Real Working Women," 20 Sep. 2018 Good teeth action starts with taking bae's bottom lip between your front teeth, giving a gentle tug, and letting go. 15. — Bernadette Anat, Seventeen, "How to Kiss: 20 Secrets Good Kissers Know," 2 Aug. 2018 Within the context of the exiled party’s Trump era ideological tug-of-war, the result was greeted as an even more significant inflection point, as the battlefield appeared to tilt decidedly toward the progressives. — Gabriel Debenedetti, Daily Intelligencer, "Democrats’ 2020 Hopefuls Refuse to Disagree (on the Midterms)," 1 July 2018 Even less tug under the eyes than the former stick. — Tynan Sinks, Allure, "I Compared the $24 BareMinerals Pro Stick to Clé De Peau Beauté’s Famous $70 Concealer," 26 Apr. 2018 The right for graduate students to organize has proved a lengthy, politically partisan tug of war. — Dawn Rhodes, chicagotribune.com, "As pay and benefits stagnate, nontenured faculty and graduate students in Illinois, Chicago look to unions," 19 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tug.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for tug
tug
verb
English Language Learners Definition of tug
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to pull something with a quick, forceful movement
tug
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of tug (Entry 2 of 2)
: an act of pulling on something : a quick pull
: a strong pulling force
See the full definition for tug in the English Language Learners Dictionary
tug
verb
\
Kids Definition of tug
(Entry 1 of 2)
tug
nounKids Definition of tug (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : an act of pulling hard : a hard pull She gave him a tug.
2 : tugboat
3 : a strong pulling force the tug of gravity
4 : a struggle between two people or forces
tug
Medical Definition of tug
— see tracheal tug
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