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 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
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
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
And when Sky and Virginia were playing in a backyard sandpit one day, her little brother tugged on her T-shirt, pointing toward a snake.
—Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
Yelkur ranked Google’s Gemini commercial about imagining a new home as one of the most emotionally appealing, likeable ads that tugged at the heartstrings.
—Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2026
After a few demonstrations, Destiny tugged the cord the way Carol showed us, and the bike roared to life.
—Hazlitt, 4 Feb. 2026
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
And when Sky and Virginia were playing in a backyard sandpit one day, her little brother tugged on her T-shirt, pointing toward a snake.
—Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
Yelkur ranked Google’s Gemini commercial about imagining a new home as one of the most emotionally appealing, likeable ads that tugged at the heartstrings.
—Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2026
After a few demonstrations, Destiny tugged the cord the way Carol showed us, and the bike roared to life.
—Hazlitt, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tugged
Verb
-
The dogs, including newborn puppies, were pulled to safety by the Brandywine Valley SPCA rescue team.—
Kerri Corrado,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
-
The war pulled the Bureau away from these efforts, but once peace returned, Kline and his scientists had gone back to work.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
In April, Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo proved to be an effective outlet as Chelsea struggled to cope with their pace.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
During her weekslong trial, friends of Richinses described how the couple had moments of material strife and struggled with infidelity.—
Minyvonne Burke,
NBC news,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
The state is vast, arid, and dependent on power hauled over long distances.—
Ken Silverstein,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
-
When the episode ends, Thalia has been violently hauled away by the Eyes for betraying God and her sisters.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Kreider, who dealt with injuries last season with the New York Rangers, has labored.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
-
The residents labored in a lead smelter near the mountain's base and worked on the project for nearly a decade, until it was completed in 1940.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Chinese firms have dragged their feet in purchasing the chips after the Chinese government encouraged them to turn to domestic chipmakers like Huawei.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
15 May 2026
-
Another witness described seeing a woman dragged from a vehicle, pinned against a wall, repeatedly raped and then stabbed, with the assault allegedly continuing after her death.—
Amelie Botbol,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The White Sox slugger worked a 1-1 count by taking a pair of pitches away.—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2026
-
Instead of being found by quick switches of play, Grimaldo and Frimpong would often become involved in moves higher up the pitch after the ball had worked its way through Alonso’s midfield box (consisting of the two deeper midfielders and two No 10s).—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Johnson for months endeavored to appoint his ally ex-Ald.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Along the way, Pollan endeavored to find answers to some of the most fundamental questions of existence, like why is there a subjective self at all?—
Nick Hilden,
Rolling Stone,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tugged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tugged. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
