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
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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
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Recent Examples of tug
Joel Rose, NPR, 26 May 2026
Some companies are designing tugs that could boost missions from their drop-off orbits to higher altitudes, potentially even to the Moon or beyond the Solar System.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 19 May 2026
Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
There’s an elastic tension in the way that a character like Mal wants to confess, wants to share in community, and also wants to disappear, a situation that tugs at her relationships with her friends and with the audience.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tug
Noun
To manage all of this complexity, the airline built its own AI system to help its tug drivers move bags more efficiently, like a ridesharing algorithm.
—Joel Rose, NPR, 26 May 2026
Some companies are designing tugs that could boost missions from their drop-off orbits to higher altitudes, potentially even to the Moon or beyond the Solar System.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 19 May 2026
Verb
Just across the state line, Alabama’s DeSoto State Park and Little River Canyon are also wonderful for stunning views, hikes and whatever else tugs your trotline.
—Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
There’s an elastic tension in the way that a character like Mal wants to confess, wants to share in community, and also wants to disappear, a situation that tugs at her relationships with her friends and with the audience.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tug
Noun
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There is a deep, innate pull that brings New Englanders home.—
Todd Plummer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 June 2026
-
Mini dresses make my tiny legs look miles long, and this pull-on style from Missactiver is no exception.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2026
Verb
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In 1913, the Pennsylvania Game Commission arranged to have fifty elk wrangled out of Yellowstone National Park, hauled back to Pennsylvania by rail, and turned loose.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
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The trailer was hauling fireworks, which ignited during the blaze and shot off in a wild display.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
Verb
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The Primm family, owners of the land that includes three casino resorts and other businesses along the 15 Freeway, announced Tuesday a partnership intended to save the struggling state-line strip and hundreds of jobs.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
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Those home-and-away supporters know how much England struggled with the heat during a camp last summer.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Noun
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Connie Lansdown, the hysterectomy patient, watches the storm yank a man from a reclining chair and drag him down the hall.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
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No snagging Lower-quality beard combs often have the intolerable tendency to pull, yank or just rip out clumps of facial hair.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Expectations of higher oil prices as the war drags on have kept long-term bond yields elevated, causing mortgage rates to mostly trend higher.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
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Across a 90-foot wall at the Orlando Museum of Art, Tommerup assembled three monumental pyramids built from canvases dragged through the ocean and Biscayne Bay, dried in flowering trees and tossed from rooftops at dusk, surrendering part of the creative process to nature itself.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The start didn’t get much easier for Bradley, who labored through a four-inning effort and suffered the loss against the Pirates.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
3 June 2026
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Martinez directs much credit to pitching coach Kyle Snyder and those who labor over pitching charts and the like.—
Tom Layberger,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
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His profession is to be the screaming jerk on reality shows, and his house burns down.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 May 2026
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These measurements enabled scientists to identify sudden changes linked to the Pacific reversal and a geomagnetic disturbance known as the 2017 geomagnetic jerk.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
25 May 2026
Verb
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Admire the artistry that comes with 11 players a side striving to best represent their country.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
8 June 2026
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Unlike impersonators, who pretend to be Elvis and sometimes present a characterized version of the king, tribute artists strive for authenticity.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tug. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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