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
Chris Dorsey, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
Like other award ceremonies, BET has also endured its share of bumps and bruises in the ongoing tug of war between captivating audiences in a 24/7 media world and lower ratings.
—Gail Mitchell, Billboard, 9 June 2025
Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Noticing former Chicago Dogs teammate Harrison Smith, however, get ready before the game tugged at Crosby.
—Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tug
Noun
After a 30-minute tug of war, finally seeing the bony plates of the prehistoric fish emerge from the murky depths of the Snake feels like uncovering the last surviving creature to slither out of the primordial ooze shortly after the Earth cooled.
—Chris Dorsey, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
Like other award ceremonies, BET has also endured its share of bumps and bruises in the ongoing tug of war between captivating audiences in a 24/7 media world and lower ratings.
—Gail Mitchell, Billboard, 9 June 2025
Verb
To remember what tugged her out of a law practice in the first place and to imbue that into her teams.
—Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Noticing former Chicago Dogs teammate Harrison Smith, however, get ready before the game tugged at Crosby.
—Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tug
Noun
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Namesake Home’s Emma dresser had the perfect measurements for our space, and that, along with its white finish and pretty pulls are what really sold us on the piece.—
Briana Feigon,
Architectural Digest,
19 June 2025
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Los Angeles does have the pull of being a big market and one of the most stories franchises in the NBA.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 June 2025
Verb
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Los Angeles — An elaborate scheme to stalk and rob truck drivers hauling millions of dollars of jewelry and other high-end merchandise has resulted in criminal charges against seven alleged co-conspirators, the Justice Department announced.—
Josh Campbell,
CNN Money,
18 June 2025
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However, according to Hoopes, when the feds were in the middle of hauling witnesses to the events in question before a grand jury and Jellinek was in their crosshairs, he was offered immunity by prosecutors looking for testimony to support an indictment.—
Matthew Medsger,
Boston Herald,
17 June 2025
Verb
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However, San Jose has struggled to keep pace, with the city failing to see a single construction start last year for market-rate multi-family developments over 20 units, making the Pleasant Hills project a potential bonus should it be constructed.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
28 June 2025
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Now, with no practical skills to speak of, the newly unemployed Grant struggled to find work.—
Casey Cep,
New Yorker,
28 June 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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Tense scenes played out in the chamber as voting came to a standstill, dragging on for hours as holdout senators huddled for negotiations.—
Lisa Mascaro,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2025
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Voting had come to a standstill, dragging for more than three hours, with holdout senators huddling for negotiations and taking private meetings off the Senate floor.—
Ani Freedman,
Fortune,
29 June 2025
Verb
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Haliburton was laboring, and the Pacers were working around it.—
Tony East,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
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Indeed, where Webb got soft contact and quick outs, needing just 98 pitches to complete his seventh seven-inning outing of the season, Yamamoto labored through hitters’ counts and long at-bats, issuing a career-high five walks while finding the strike zone on just 56 of his 102 pitches.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2025
Noun
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But in politics — as in life —there’s a fine line between being genuine and being a jerk.—
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
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Smoky, spicy jerk is also on the menu in the Pulled Jerk Pork & Coconut Shrimp appetizer at Eleanor’s at Sandals Grande Antigua.—
Sandals Resorts,
AFAR Media,
4 June 2025
Verb
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Kenn Ricci, founder of Flexjet, is an executive who strives to embody both while also running a business in one of the more challenging industries to be sustainable in, aviation.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
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But improvements on the field are what this group strives for each year.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tug. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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