tug

verb \ ˈtəg \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Examples: tug in a Sentence

Definition of tug

tugged; tugging

intransitive verb

1 : to pull hard

2 : to struggle in opposition : contend

3 : to exert oneself laboriously : labor

transitive verb

1 : to pull or strain hard at

2 a : to move by pulling hard : haul

b : to carry with difficulty : lug

3 : to tow with a tugboat

—

tugger

noun

See tug defined for English-language learners

See tug defined for kids

Examples of tug in a Sentence

I felt someone tugging on my sleeve.
She tugged the cord until the plug came out of the wall socket.

Recent Examples of tug from the Web

As conventionally unconvincing as the enterprise has to be, the movie tries to tug at the heartstrings with its suggestion that in these old men Dax has found a new family.

— jay longino, New York Times, "Review: In ‘Uncle Drew,’ N.B.A. Stars Keep Dunking With Age," 28 June 2018
Sasha’s hopelessness, depression, and desperation jump off the screen to tug at your heart.

— refinery29.com, "Sweetbitter Episode 5: What About Sasha?," 4 June 2018
Walking right out of your flip-flops and hitting a concrete sidewalk with your bare foot or being forcefully tugged by the firm plastic strap between your toes.

— meredith bodgas, Woman's Day, "The 10 Worst Sensations of Summer," 12 June 2015
Re Pastore’ Told through a succession of arias, Mozart’s early work is a heart-tugging story about love versus duty.

— kathleen dixon, SFChronicle.com, "Bay Area arts and entertainment highlights, week of July 15," 11 July 2018
One of the techniques these wild vines use to survive is to break apart when joints above ground are tugged.

— walter reeves, ajc, "Rose black spot can be controlled," 11 July 2018
Olivia Wilde and Oscar Isaac star in Fogelman’s latest movie Life Itself — a multigenerational story that is sure to tug on the heartstrings.

— ale russian, PEOPLE.com, "This Is Us Creator Brings More Tears in New Movie Life Itself with Olivia Wilde and Oscar Isaac," 10 July 2018
When the line tugs for the first time, youngsters get very excited, Gilbert said.

— sheryl devore, Lake County News-Sun, "Give fishing a try at annual Gurnee event," 3 July 2018
Best scene: Baseball movies, including this one, have a tendency to tug on people's heartstrings. 5.

— peter dawson, star-telegram, "Ranking the top 7 Texas sports movies of all time — and their best scenes," 28 June 2018

These 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.

Origin and Etymology of tug

Middle English tuggen; akin to Old English togian to pull — more at tow

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

tug Synonyms

tug

noun

Definition of tug

1 a : an act or instance of tugging : pull

b : a strong pulling force

2 a : a straining effort

b : a struggle between two people or opposite forces

3 : tugboat

4 a : ³trace 1

b : a short leather strap or loop

c : a rope or chain used for pulling

See tug defined for English-language learners

Examples of tug in a Sentence

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 of tug from the Web

The Vos Thalassa, an Italian tug assisting an oil rig, rescued the migrants from a human traffickers’ boat on Sunday.

— Washington Post, "Rescued migrants questioned in Sicily about alleged threats," 13 July 2018
Prince Harry lets 4-year-old Dylan Mahon tug at his red beard during a visit to Croke Park on day two of the royal couple’s visit to Dublin, Ireland.

— erin hill, PEOPLE.com, "Every Photo You Need to See from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's First Tour as a Married Couple," 11 July 2018
Edison has built new boats and tugs for the operation.

— alex demarban, Anchorage Daily News, "Coast Guard investigating after 2nd accident for new spill-response operator in Prince William Sound," 11 July 2018
As part of the 7-on-7 Red Grange Classic on June 29 in Wheaton, linemen take part in events such as the bench press, obstacle course and tug of war.

— steve reaven, chicagotribune.com, "Maine South tackle Peter Skoronski ready to meet expectations," 9 July 2018
After 25 minutes, the peaches are tanned, caramelized and the skin can be peeled off with a slight tug of the thumb.

— chuck blount, San Antonio Express-News, "The 4 fruits to put in the smoker, and 5 to avoid," 9 July 2018
Bill Diehl, president of the Greater Houston Port Bureau, credited the pilots, tug operators, line handlers and others who helped dock the ship.

— andrea leinfelder, Houston Chronicle, "Tight squeeze: Supersized crude carrier calls on Texas City port," 22 June 2018
The snatch strap’s elasticity helps to cushion sudden loads on both vehicles and may provide some extra tug to help pull a vehicle free.

— wes siler, Outside Online, "The Gear You Need to Get Your Truck Unstuck," 19 June 2018
That tug between theory and practice flared anew last month, as Penn ousted Fels’ executive director and some staff and moved the 81-year-old school under the direction of two tenured faculty members.

— susan snyder, Philly.com, "Ivy League identity crisis: What does Penn's Fels Institute want to be?," 15 June 2018

First Known Use of tug

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 4a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

tug Synonyms

Synonyms

draw, haul, jerk, pluck, pull, wrench, yank;

Antonyms

push;

Near Antonyms

heave, shove, thrust;

Related Words

drag, tow;

hitch, twitch;

grab, snatch;

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

apiary, bantam, calico, girth, hogwash, mast, rut

Tug

abbreviation

Definition of Tug

tugrik, tugriks

TUG Defined for English Language Learners

tug

verb

Definition of tug for English Language Learners

: to pull something with a quick, forceful movement

tug

noun

Definition of tug for English Language Learners

: an act of pulling on something : a quick pull
: a strong pulling force

TUG Defined for Kids

tug

verb \ ˈtəg \

Definition of tug for Students

tugged; tugging

1 : to pull hard

I tugged at the rope.

2 : to move by pulling hard : drag

3 : to tow with a tugboat

tug

noun

Definition of tug for Students

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

Medical Dictionary

tug

medical Definition of tug

— see tracheal tug

Learn More about tug

See words that rhyme with tug Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tug Spanish Central: Translation of tug Nglish: Translation of tug for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of tug for Arabic speakers

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tug

Definition of tug

tugger

Examples of tug in a Sentence

Recent Examples of tug from the Web

Origin and Etymology of tug

tug Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

tug

Definition of tug

Examples of tug in a Sentence

Recent Examples of tug from the Web

First Known Use of tug

tug Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

Tug

Definition of Tug

Phrases Related to TUG

Related Phrases

TUG Defined for English Language Learners

tug

Definition of tug for English Language Learners

tug

Definition of tug for English Language Learners

TUG Defined for Kids

tug

Definition of tug for Students

tug

Definition of tug for Students

Medical Dictionary

tug

medical Definition of tug

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