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 wrought
to devote serious and sustained effort
she's tugged all her life to get to where she is now in the business world
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
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Mahomes pulled the Chiefs within one in the third quarter.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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The drawstring waist is adjustable and has a stretchy waistband for improved comfort even when pulled tight.—
Anne Taylor,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Under pressure throughout the final set, Sabalenka just about hauled herself over the line, an ace setting up match point.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
-
After months of growing, but before the first frost, the tall stalks are cut and hauled to a ‘cane mill’ for processing.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Most notably, the Chargers struggled to contain Mahomes in the pocket.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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Fighter jets have long struggled to integrate AI into radar systems due to limited space, power, and processing capacity.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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His life was going nowhere, until his brother Scott dragged him off the couch and convinced Dean to sign up with his acting coach, Bill Esper.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
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Mitchell was then dragged outside to the valet area, and a female Hyatt employee grabbed a broomstick and struck Mitchell with it.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Some of the works would be labored over and over and over again.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Aug. 2025
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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
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Founded by Keith and Brooke Desserich who lost their 5-year-old daughter Elena to brain cancer, The Cure Starts Now first worked with Graeter's in 2007 to develop an ice cream flavor in honor of the couple's daughter, called Elena’s Blueberry Pie ice cream.—
Grace Tucker,
The Enquirer,
3 Sep. 2025
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For approximately 25 years, Lee worked on international legal cases to combat injustice and promote human rights, achieving notable success in the high-level world of international courts.—
Ray Long,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tugged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tugged. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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