as in pull
the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force
gave the man in front a tug on his shirtsleeve as a sign that he was supposed to step aside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in to struggle
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.
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Recent Examples of tug
Tim Fang, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2026
Even the buildings, standing lot line to lot line, alley to street, tug at memories.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
Little kids tug at sleeves and ask when.
—Monti Carlo, AJC.com, 8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tug
Noun
Both sides had been in a negotiation tug of war since October 2024, when clerks first went on strike for one day over similar issues.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2026
Even the buildings, standing lot line to lot line, alley to street, tug at memories.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
Playing the title role of a linguistics professor who faces changes and prepares her family for what's to come as the disease takes hold, Moore navigates the character arc with honesty and heart-tugging empathy.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
Little kids tug at sleeves and ask when.
—Monti Carlo, AJC.com, 8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tug
Noun
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Crafted with a soft, weightless material in an easy pull-on design, the Elleven Linen Maxi Skirt offers a flexible, comfortable fit that moves with you.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Mar. 2026
-
That’s even more so in television, where putting Michael Myers in an episodic setting just doesn’t have the same pull.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials hauling a mother bear to their vehicle after it was tranquilized and captured in Monrovia on Sunday afternoon.—
Laurie Perez,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Every day, food scraps disappear into trash bags, are hauled away and forgotten.—
Ahmed Ibrahim Yunus,
The Conversation,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
More surprisingly, strategies typically seen as beneficiaries of volatility have also struggled.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The two then struggled over their firearms.—
CBS Atlanta Digital Team,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Effectively, this turned the workspace into a yank buffer along with all your documents, and undoing any destructive editing operation thus became merely another cut and paste.—
Cameron Kaiser,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Visitors to China will want to lighten their grip, while folks introducing themselves to Germans should know to stop after one firm downward yank.—
Chris Ciolli,
AFAR Media,
15 July 2025
Verb
-
The war continued to escalate on its 13th day as oil prices spiraled up again to $100 per barrel, and stocks sank worldwide over fears that the conflict could drag on longer than hoped.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Mar. 2026
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Even with the massive emergency release, analysts said that strategic reserves can cover only a fraction of the supply loss if the conflict dragged on.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Irish workers also labored in rail yards and mines in the area.—
Paula Kane,
The Conversation,
13 Mar. 2026
-
My fascination extended to gardeners, who voluntarily labored to create something with no hope of permanence.—
Amy Waldman,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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My Jamaican Table, his first book (Springsteen wrote the foreword), is a mouth-watering mix of traditional classic dishes like oxtail with rice and peas, and curry chicken alongside modern spins on American classics, like his signature jerk smashburger with bacon jam.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
16 Mar. 2026
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So, yeah, of course this person is (probably) being a real jerk about things.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As a skilled keyboard player, drummer, and vocalist, David consistently pushes himself to new heights, never settling for complacency and always striving to improve.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
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Hence, as Mideastern countries have striven to diversify their economies by transforming raw resources into higher value products, fertilizer production has become a major industry.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tug. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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