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
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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
Isabelle Taft, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025
For example, the sun’s gravity tugs harder on the moon than Earth’s does!
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 21 Mar. 2025
Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 4 Apr. 2025
Do not rub or tug at your skin—instead use gentle pressure to sweep the product across your face, making sure to cover areas like the chin, neck, and décolletage.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tug
Noun
Once the ship is in the open waters of the Atlantic, just one of the tugs will be needed to tow it slowly southward.
—Isabelle Taft, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025
For example, the sun’s gravity tugs harder on the moon than Earth’s does!
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
Tight calves can also pull on your Achilles, which then tugs on your plantar fascia, since both attach to your heel bone.
—Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 4 Apr. 2025
Do not rub or tug at your skin—instead use gentle pressure to sweep the product across your face, making sure to cover areas like the chin, neck, and décolletage.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tug
Noun
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For every pushing movement, such as push-ups or overhead presses, include a pulling movement such as rows or band pull-aparts.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
18 Apr. 2025
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Plus, Hunter swapped the antiquated pull chain for a sleek remote control.—
Erika Owen,
Architectural Digest,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Everything appeared to be playing into United’s hands as the match wore on, but with 20 minutes of normal time remaining, Corentin Tolisso’s header hauled Lyon back into the contest.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
18 Apr. 2025
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The top 2 feet of dirt at the Michigan Avenue site was scraped off and hauled away because of contamination from lead paint peelings from the houses that once stood there.—
Mike Hendricks,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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But 100 days into his second term in the White House, the president is struggling to deliver on those promises.—
Alain Sherter,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2025
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Carney may well struggle to hold on to power for as long as Trudeau did, given that the Liberals have fallen just short of an outright majority in Parliament; even the most successful political parties rarely win five straight contests.—
Daniel Block,
The Atlantic,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Four yanks later, voila: Clayton had pulled free his prize, leaving just a single strand of nylon stuck in the Alamodome rim.—
Brendan Marks,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
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Each blade has a pull tab at the top of its cartridge; just give it a gentle yank to remove it.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The longer the trade war drags on, the more likely Washington and Beijing will find other ways to retaliate beyond economics.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
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Paleontologists used to wonder if some marine reptiles did the same, awkwardly dragging themselves onto beaches to lay eggs rather than birthing their young at sea like whales do.—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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When Michele Romano went missing last August, her family and their close friend, podcaster Lauren Lee Malloy, labored over flyers bearing her image: a woman with a gentle smile and a spill of braids, wrapped in a cozy, pale rainbow cardigan.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2025
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Sánchez had labored through two innings of an eventual 5-1 Phillies loss to the New York Mets.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But this Ron Howard was an alternate universe version of Ron Howard, who instead of being notoriously nice, is sort of a jerk.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2025
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Someone actually just said to me that all the men in the book are jerks.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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There is something about the energy, the belief and people striving to achieve the same thing — things happen.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
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Growing Global Demand For Automation Companies from different industries are striving to increase efficiency, reduce costs and solve the problem of labor shortages.—
Anton Alikov,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tug. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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