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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of tugged
In bringing a piece of her mother to the event, Obama tugged at a feeling that many will relate to – wishing a late family member could be with you during life’s milestone moments.
—
Fiona Sinclair Scott,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
One weekend last November it was tugged around the harbor wrapped in a pink Nike ad.
—
Lincoln Anderson,
New York Daily News,
12 June 2026
His young daughter tugged at him.
—
Christine Ro,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
The rookie tryout cornerback repeatedly tugged on undrafted rookie wide receiver Omari Kelly’s jersey as Kelly ran a go route up the left sideline.
—
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
When Wembanyama then grabbed the ensuing rebound right over Reid, Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels came in and tugged down on Wembanyama’s jersey from behind, then held onto his off arm.
—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Sure, the sequence largely swipes away hints given prior that Bowser was an absent father, but in a film where most of the characters veer toward the blandly nice, watching a dad and his son bond over their same sociopathic tendencies was the only moment that tugged at the heartstrings.
—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
Smoldering at the camera, the star—who’s currently dating Scooter Braun—tugged down the straps of the plum-chocolate bra and covered her chest with her hands.
—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
7 Mar. 2026
From life’s first moments, multiplying cells are squished, stretched, and tugged to form tissues that bend and twist into organs that expand and contract.
—
Clare Watson,
Quanta Magazine,
27 Feb. 2026
Fiona Sinclair Scott,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
One weekend last November it was tugged around the harbor wrapped in a pink Nike ad.
—
Lincoln Anderson,
New York Daily News,
12 June 2026
His young daughter tugged at him.
—
Christine Ro,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
The rookie tryout cornerback repeatedly tugged on undrafted rookie wide receiver Omari Kelly’s jersey as Kelly ran a go route up the left sideline.
—
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
When Wembanyama then grabbed the ensuing rebound right over Reid, Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels came in and tugged down on Wembanyama’s jersey from behind, then held onto his off arm.
—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Sure, the sequence largely swipes away hints given prior that Bowser was an absent father, but in a film where most of the characters veer toward the blandly nice, watching a dad and his son bond over their same sociopathic tendencies was the only moment that tugged at the heartstrings.
—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
Smoldering at the camera, the star—who’s currently dating Scooter Braun—tugged down the straps of the plum-chocolate bra and covered her chest with her hands.
—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
7 Mar. 2026
From life’s first moments, multiplying cells are squished, stretched, and tugged to form tissues that bend and twist into organs that expand and contract.
—
Clare Watson,
Quanta Magazine,
27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tugged
Verb
-
After the network successfully pulled together a motley crew of Real Housewives offspring and their Manhattan socialite friends last year, the gang is back for a second season in the city.
-
Arraez pulled a 1-1 curveball from the Athletics’ Aaron Civale off the top of his right foot and collapsed to the ground in pain.
Verb
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Additionally, both of those players have struggled to provide consistent impact as finishers at the rim and aren’t useful as shooters.
-
The Volkswagen Group has struggled with its internal software division (Cariad) for years.
Verb
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Pigs that were being hauled by the semi could be heard squealing at the scene.
-
The tractor rumbled onward, into the sun, hammering over a divot where a tree had been cut long ago, its stump hauled away.
Verb
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Washington starter Cade Cavalli, scratched from the lineup the previous day due to illness, labored through 2 2/3 innings.
-
Debby labored and gave birth in our bedroom under a bright full moon and snow outside; Felix arrived right into my hands.
Verb
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In that second leadership election, he was roundly defeated by Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran socialist whose victory dragged the party leftwards.
-
As the Bucks dragged their feet on the Antetokounmpo situation, a number of other teams gave up on the season entirely.
Verb
-
La Roja needs quicker movement of the ball and its players, more adaptation to what the opponent is doing (Saudi Arabia is not going to play free and open after seeing what worked) and to be more ruthless.
-
Elmo Fire Department I‑20 westbound was closed as crews worked the scene.
Verb
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When Disney+ first launched, the House of Mouse endeavored to make its streaming platform the new home of all things Star Wars.
-
Johnson for months endeavored to appoint his ally ex-Ald.
Cite this Entry
“Tugged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tugged. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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