\ ˈtəg 
\
\tugged; tugging
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
Synonyms: Noun
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
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb There's emotional music and pretty star lanterns too, to really tug at those heartstrings.
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Ruth Kinane, EW.com, "The 18 best holiday commercials of 2020," 10 Dec. 2020 On a walk-around of Epcot Thursday, park General Manager Kartika Rodriguez cheerfully reminded a man who had just finished his beer and was getting up to walk around to tug up his mask.
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Gabrielle Russon, orlandosentinel.com, "At Disney World, most people wear masks, but theme park scuffles still erupt over COVID-19 rule," 24 Nov. 2020 The doctor will firmly grasp a section of hair near the scalp and tug all the way down, repeating this around the head.
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Jolene Edgar, Allure, "You're Not Imagining It: The Pandemic Is Triggering Stress-Induced Hair Loss," 20 Nov. 2020 Move both ends of the string back up to the 12-o’clock position, gently tug, and pop the lock up.
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Andrew Northshield, Popular Mechanics, "How to Get Keys Out of a Locked Car," 19 Nov. 2020 Cutscenes and familiar geographies will tug lightly at your heartstrings.
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Cecilia D'anastasio, Wired, "Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity," 18 Nov. 2020 Whereas some models can tug up to 7650 pounds with the gas V-6, the Mojave's soft suspension limits it to 6000 pounds with the automatic.
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Mike Sutton, Car and Driver, "We Recruit a 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave for Both Work and Play," 24 Nov. 2020 Then grab the car seat at the bottom where it is attached to the car and tug from side to side and front to back.
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Dallas News, "Holiday 2020: Top safety tips for vehicle travel during pandemic," 18 Nov. 2020 The story will tug on your heart, and the platforming mechanics will offer a serious challenge without becoming punishing to the player.
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Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, "PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X: How to decide which one is right for you," 12 Nov. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The Chinese vaccine has been at the center of a political tug of war between President Jair Bolsonaro and Mr. Doria, who is expected to try to wrest the presidency from the conserative ex-army captain in the 2022 elections.
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WSJ, "Coronavirus Live Updates: U.S. Death Toll Tops 300,000," 14 Dec. 2020 In the national interest Efraín Álvarez has scored just once in three seasons with the Galaxy, yet the teenager now finds himself at the center of a tug-of-war between Mexico, his parents’ home, and the U.S., where Álvarez was born.
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Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, "Soccer newsletter: Galaxy will see what could have been in MLS final," 8 Dec. 2020 But some on social media — including teammate Rejzohn Wright — have pointed to McKinley’s leg tug as a possible culprit.
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Joe Freeman, oregonlive, "Tristan Gebbia’s injury ‘significantly more serious’ than thought, Oregon State Beavers may turn to Chance Nolan vs. Utah," 1 Dec. 2020 Gorden's tug arrived half an hour later, along with several other small boats, to find the 656-foot (200-meter) ship on its side.
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Russ Bynum, Star Tribune, "`Smooth travel' observed before ship capsized off Georgia," 21 Sep. 2020 Still, Telahun felt the tug and pull of the virus in Sioux Falls.
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Los Angeles Times, "A tale of two cities: the cautious refugees hit by COVID-19 and those who call it a hoax and refuse masks," 18 Dec. 2020 Linemen dream of that moment -- a reverse tug of war with the same goal of physical domination.
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Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al, "In age of explosive offenses, short-yardage trench battles still matter of pride," 11 Dec. 2020 For the past four years, a tug of war has been waged between the Texas Education Agency and the U.S. Department of Education.
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ExpressNews.com, "Express Briefing: Naked sushi photo violated policy, city review finds," 2 Dec. 2020 By the first week of October, doctors took the trach out with a simple tug to the adhesive holding it in.
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Maggie Menderski, courier-journal.com, "Inches from death, La Grange man spends 95 days in the hospital battling COVID-19," 24 Nov. 2020
See MoreThese 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
verbEnglish 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\ ˈtəg \
\tugged; tugging
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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Comments on tug
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Time Traveler for tug
The first known use of tug was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century