1
as in pulled
to cause to follow by applying steady force on
tugged on the door until it opened
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in struggled
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
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Recent Examples of tugged
An invitation from Wolfpack quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper to sit in on film sessions and game-planning meetings tugged McCall out of a potentially debilitating spiral.
—
Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
If a toy was tugged, it was considered a Pull type, and if it was retrieved when thrown, it was considered a Fetch type.
—New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2025
This one may have tugged at your deepest insecurities around intimacy, trust, and vulnerability, pushing you to face the places where pride has sometimes acted as a shield.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 7 Sep. 2025
But almost as soon as that hopefulness returned, it was tugged away when ownership decided to slash payroll.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 12 Aug. 2025
There was a sentimental clip that tugged on the audience’s heartstrings showing Cantrall as a very young Disney performer.
—Scott King, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2025
In 1984, a memory tugged at him.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2025
Timothy and Maud held tight to his jacket and tugged.
—Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025
Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
If a toy was tugged, it was considered a Pull type, and if it was retrieved when thrown, it was considered a Fetch type.
—New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2025
This one may have tugged at your deepest insecurities around intimacy, trust, and vulnerability, pushing you to face the places where pride has sometimes acted as a shield.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 7 Sep. 2025
But almost as soon as that hopefulness returned, it was tugged away when ownership decided to slash payroll.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 12 Aug. 2025
There was a sentimental clip that tugged on the audience’s heartstrings showing Cantrall as a very young Disney performer.
—Scott King, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2025
In 1984, a memory tugged at him.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2025
Timothy and Maud held tight to his jacket and tugged.
—Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tugged
Verb
-
Hot dishes pulled from the oven should never be put directly into cold water, and any glass pans pulled from the refrigerator for reheating should be brought to room temperature before heating.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Photos taken of Kitzing at the time of their arrest in 1936 show them in feminine dress, with long hair pulled back, wearing a fur coat and a hat.—
Kate Sosin,
Them.,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Her sister struggled for years with substance use, leading their mother to assume custody of her sister's two children.—
Victoria Moorwood,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
26 Oct. 2025
-
After an effort to create a Falls of the Ohio national park fell short in 1967, Kentucky and Indiana officials struggled to stop the falls from becoming a garbage dump.—
Leo Bertucci,
Louisville Courier Journal,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The pass itself didn’t reach the end zone, but Rice hauled it in and carried it the remaining 11 yards for a score.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The department said the monkeys were being hauled from Tulane University.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
That means that while some other federal workers have labored without pay for a month, CJA panel attorneys such as Foster and Binninger have worked without pay since before July 3, when the CJA funding officially expired.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Betsy’s love labored between two living losses.—
Joy Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As biologists began to accept that the smallest of the whales had perished, the rescue work dragged past its second week.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The Americas slipped 2%, dragged by softer performance in department stores.—
Maliha Shoaib,
Vogue,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Companies themselves worked with everything from 0 to 80 per cent; Microsoft’s hypothetical decarbonization pathway appeared to count on close to 50.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Throughout her campaign, Sherrill worked assiduously to link Ciattarelli to the sitting President.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Padilla endeavored to make his mark early.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
-
However, the doormat goes to the Hustlers, who like Orlando endeavored to dismantle a successful 2024 playoff team and turn it into the worst team in 2025, a weird look for a team owned by one of the lead investors in the league.—
Todd Boss,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tugged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tugged. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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