tugging

verb

present participle of tug
1
as in pulling
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 laboring
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 tugging In Gold Hill, Sullivan's brother-in-law solved the bear-in-Toyota problem by tugging a rope tied to a door handle. — ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026 In Gold Hill, Sullivan’s brother-in-law solved the bear-in-Toyota problem by tugging a rope tied to a door handle. — Brittany Peterson, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026 One of the iconic Chicago Bears photos from 1985, shot during a minicamp practice in the spring, captured Walter Payton with one finger on his left hand tugging down the shorts of fullback Matt Suhey, who was lined up in the I-formation. — Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026 Teams earned points by winning weekly head-to-head battles – tugging a sled across the field the fastest, surviving a heated game of dodgeball – and by simply doing the right thing. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026 In a statement after the trial, Delaney acknowledged tugging on the student's sleeve. — William Morris, Des Moines Register, 14 Aug. 2026 Other players rushed to the scene, with linebacker Dre Greenlaw tugging right tackle Colton McKivitz to the ground, prompting fullback Kyle Juszczyk to enter the fray and a dogpile ensued. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 31 July 2026 After tugging on the singer's arm, the concertgoer was quickly apprehended by security. — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 31 July 2026 Prying policy specifics from a political candidate often is like tugging a bone from a bulldog. — George F. Will, Washington Post, 17 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tugging
  1. pulling
  2. laboring
  3. hauling
  4. struggling
  5. dragging
  6. striving
  7. working
  8. trying
Verb
  • Havertz pulling to the right, combined with the snappier passing of Rice, is what brought their equaliser.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Even average Big Ten linemen are pulling $400,000 or more these days.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of pulling
Verb
  • While practicing for a sixth straight day, laboring in a heat index pushing 90 degrees, the Chiefs were bound to be a bit ill-mannered.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Complicated births that require, for example, extended time laboring will now be differentiated and might cost more, while uncomplicated births will cost less.
    — Camille A. Clare, STAT, 23 July 2026
Definition of laboring
Verb
  • The four Chinese cargo drones being used by the Nepal army are currently hauling about 132 pounds of supplies per trip, Reuters reported.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The Romulus Police Department said the truck, which was hauling a large load of small metal components, flipped on its side while the driver tried to navigate a corner on Wayne Road onto I-94.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of hauling
Verb
  • Its interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former al-Qa’eda militant who led the rebel offensive that overthrew dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, has been struggling to rebuild a nation devastated by almost 14 years of civil war.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Teachers and students are struggling to parse the difference between deploying AI effectively and exploiting the technology to cheat.
    — Sian Leah Beilock, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of struggling
Verb
  • The story went viral, Rust recalls, dragging local, state and, ultimately, federal officials into a Keystone Kops-like battle of wills.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • During the transformation the gases escape, dragging dust and ice particles off the surface with them.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of dragging
Verb
  • Rome’s deputy mayor for sustainable mobility and transport, Eugenio Patanè, is striving to restore order and reduce traffic — and not just golf carts.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
  • OpenAI is striving to regain the initiative in the AI race against a backdrop of growing anxiety from experts, tech leaders, and the public over the risks of frontier AI.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of striving
Verb
  • Now knighted, Lardelli is still involved with the All Blacks, working especially closely with their new players.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • And Vail’s unionized workers have been fighting with management over working conditions.
    — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of working
Verb
  • Gauff knocked the ball into a rectangular expanse of blue, as Jović stood in the doubles alley and doubled over to her knees, trying to catch her breath.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • If someone dominates the conversation, redirect attention to what the group is trying to accomplish.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of trying

Browse Nearby Words

tugged
tugging
tug-of-war
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Cite this Entry

“Tugging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tugging. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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