as in pull
the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force
gave the man in front a tug on his shirtsleeve as a sign that he was supposed to step aside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in to struggle
to devote serious and sustained effort
she's tugged all her life to get to where she is now in the business world
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of tug
Mike Wall, Space.com, 15 Dec. 2025
That night, the mental tug of war brought an exasperated reaction in the stands when the fourth official showed six minutes of stoppage time, only for Saka to score the second within a minute.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2025
Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 19 Jan. 2026
February 19 – March 20 Something is tugging at your conscience today.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tug
Noun
Otter Pup 1 was supposed to rendezvous with the space tug that deployed it into orbit, but that parent vehicle experienced an anomaly that scuttled that plan.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 15 Dec. 2025
That night, the mental tug of war brought an exasperated reaction in the stands when the fourth official showed six minutes of stoppage time, only for Saka to score the second within a minute.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2025
Verb
Pisces February 19 – March 20 Something is tugging at your conscience today.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 19 Jan. 2026
February 19 – March 20 Something is tugging at your conscience today.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tug
Noun
-
The Timberwolves can present a defensive nightmare for the Bulls — a dueling center duo balanced by high-level shooting guards, all revolving around the weighty gravitational pull created by Anthony Edwards.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Many agree the pull is emotional.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Most of the parts for such houses are assembled in a factory, like a car, then hauled to the property and put together.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Once completed, crews will start hauling snow from downtown and midtown to improve safety and accessibility in high-traffic areas.—
Jake Allen,
IndyStar,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Multiple royal watchers have claimed the prince has struggled to move beyond the fallout of his dramatic exit from royal life six years ago, citing professional setbacks and lingering personal tensions.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The congressman says one of his top priorities is passing a new farm bill, which has been tied up in Congress and could provide some relief to local farmers struggling with declining profits.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Effectively, this turned the workspace into a yank buffer along with all your documents, and undoing any destructive editing operation thus became merely another cut and paste.—
Cameron Kaiser,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Visitors to China will want to lighten their grip, while folks introducing themselves to Germans should know to stop after one firm downward yank.—
Chris Ciolli,
AFAR Media,
15 July 2025
Verb
-
Reynolds said more than 100 tiny homes placed on the campus for veterans who had camped on nearby San Vicente Boulevard have proved to be difficult for those using wheelchairs and walkers, are subject to fire and are not suitable for stays that can drag on for months.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
-
In its short lifespan, the Outback Wilderness done its part to drag that toward the middle.—
Byron Hurd,
The Drive,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Lahmeyer, the Oklahoma pastor, said pastors and Christian leaders often labor under the burden of expectations.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The team labored in home losses to Houston and the Los Angeles Chargers, with Mahomes ultimately suffering a season-ending ACL injury in the fourth quarter of that setback against the Chargers.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Drift through the crowd as the smell of smoky jerk chicken and grilled cheese mingles with fresh lumpia, vegan soul bowls, and small-batch kombucha.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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The Store offers flavors such as buffalo, garlic parmesan, barbecue, sweet chili, Torrington Hot, mango habanero, Jamaican jerk, spicy harissa, lemon pepper, Marsala, spicy Mediterranean, Tunisian buffalo and garlic hot.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Zelenskyy is also striving to keep the world’s attention focused on Ukraine despite other conflicts.—
Kamila Hrabchuk,
Fortune,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Zelensky is also striving to keep the world’s attention focused on Ukraine despite other conflicts.—
Kamila Hrabchuk,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tug. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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