1
as in pulled
to cause to follow by applying steady force on
tugged on the door until it opened
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wrought
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
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 tugged
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
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
-
They were pulled from the Red Barn, a local landmark dating to the early 1900s in this small community southwest of the Keweenaw Peninsula.—
Eric D. Lawrence,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Advertisement Advertisement Season 3 was the series’ most volatile yet, with every storyline pulled taut to the breaking point.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
George Zinn was one of those captured in viral video footage being apprehended and hauled away by Utah authorities at the school following the murder.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The Ryugu samples hauled home by Hayabusa2 contained larger quantities of hafnium isotopes compared to lutetium isotopes than were expected.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But the California native struggled throughout the postseason and had just one hit and seven strikeouts across the first three World Series games.—
Jamie Barton,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
-
England had noticed Patri had struggled with the same issue against Switzerland.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Homeland Security officials said Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez resisted arrest and dragged an officer in his car.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a man who resisted arrest and dragged the officer during a vehicle stop in a Chicago suburb Friday morning, according to the Department of Homeland Security.—
Priscilla Alvarez,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Some of the works would be labored over and over and over again.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Aug. 2025
-
But that’s not why Fastvold and Corbet — who as directors have now had two features each in competition in Venice — labored over the film.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.—
Duaa Eldeib,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
-
There were quite a few troubling snaps to Young, and that’s a tough look for a pair that have worked together at their positions in each of the past two summer.—
DIAMOND VENCES,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tugged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tugged. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share