lugging

present participle of lug
1
as in hauling
to cause to follow by applying steady force on lugged the lawn mower out into the backyard

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2
as in carrying
to support and take from one place to another I don't understand why he's always lugging all of his books around when his locker is right over there

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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 lugging Unusually for an executive of such power, Daunt, who is sixty-three, spent more than twenty years running his own bookshops in the leafy parts of London—lugging boxes, placing orders, and performing other Meg Ryan-ish chores. — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026 Items like clothing and shoes are easy to return; but lugging a whole rug back to UPS? — Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2026 Accounting is not a very physical job, but tell that to the KPMG gnomes who just spent weeks lugging around gold bars in a secret Swiss cavern. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026 Trying to hike with one of these turbines usually meant lugging around heavy mounting poles and complex external charge controllers. — New Atlas, 12 Aug. 2026 No more lugging the entire stand-up vacuum up each individual step! — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 12 Aug. 2026 Its bed and cabin space were also perfect for lugging camping gear from New Jersey to Pennsylvania and back. — Charles Singh, USA Today, 30 July 2026 So why go out and beat yourself up, lugging a bunch of instruments around with other guys? — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 19 July 2026 The transit agency wants proposals for fare gate improvements that could not only deter turnstile-hoppers, but also improve accessibility for riders with disabilities or people lugging suitcases and strollers onto the transit system. — Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 16 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lugging
Verb
  • To protect the boardwalk and the homes there, the city has been hauling sand from the west end of the beach to the east to create a buffer between the ocean and the shore.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
  • For now, Starship's most immediate role is hauling Starlink satellites in orbit.
    — Andrew Jones, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Protesters, many of whom have been seen carrying Palestinian flags, have set fire to historic buildings and attacked civilians.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Mitchell Fairbarn was captured on surveillance video carrying the 27-year-old Chilean flamingo, Peachy, to his room after removing the bird from its enclosure at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino in March.
    — Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • One of the most fun parts of writing comedy is coming up with alt after alt after alt for a joke, pulling ever-increasingly stupid punch lines out of one’s ass.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The deputy made a U-turn and saw the man, who deputies say is 49-year-old Brenton Burke, kneeling under the truck’s steering column and pulling wires, the arrest report states.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Typically custom-designed using specialized steel, some are so massive that transporting them can require moving power lines.
    — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • However, carrying mission equipment presents different engineering challenges than transporting conventional cargo.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Count seats against your guest list, then throw down floor cushions or a blanket pile instead of dragging in extra chairs.
    — Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Plus, because most wide-legs have longer inseams, a low heel prevents them from dragging on the ground.
    — Eva Thomas, InStyle, 17 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The Cutter Tampa’s crew returned to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale ferrying 29,600 pounds of cocaine and 2,355 pounds of marijuana.
    — David Goodhue October 15, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Residents of some leafy New York City suburbs say their peace and quiet is being shattered by helicopters ferrying even wealthier travelers out to the Hamptons, according to new reporting.
    — Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Lugging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lugging. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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