TUGGING Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

tugging

verb

present participle of tug

as in pulling

to cause to follow by applying steady force on tugged on the door until it opened

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Sitting in a boat, tugging their house behind them, the journey initially appears to be going smoothly. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026 The sweet gallery opens with Rocki tugging at a large wig placed on her head as Rihanna can be heard laughing in the background. — Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 27 Sep. 2026 WashWise recommends holding the spray 8 to 12 inches away, applying a light mist and smoothing or gently tugging the fabric to release wrinkles. — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 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. — 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tugging

Verb

One of the most fun parts of writing comedy is coming up with alt after alt after alt for a joke, pulling ever-increasingly stupid punch lines out of one’s ass.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
The deputy made a U-turn and saw the man, who deputies say is 49-year-old Brenton Burke, kneeling under the truck’s steering column and pulling wires, the arrest report states.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of pulling

Verb

Strange, yes, but definitely more memorable than an accountant in green eyeshade laboring over the books.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
And workers have now spent over 1 million hours laboring on an infrastructure project whose price tag has surpassed $900 million.

— Robert Tann, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of laboring

Verb

To protect the boardwalk and the homes there, the city has been hauling sand from the west end of the beach to the east to create a buffer between the ocean and the shore.

— Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
For now, Starship's most immediate role is hauling Starlink satellites in orbit.

— Andrew Jones, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of hauling

Verb

The school has implemented programs to help struggling students close achievement gaps and introduced the Hadley Literacy Plan to improve writing schoolwide.

— Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
Fashion’s nature risks and dependencies are wide-reaching, from cotton harvests ravaged by drought and leather supply chains riddled with deforestation, to manufacturing hubs struggling with water scarcity and retail networks affected by flooding.

— Bella Webb, Vogue, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of struggling

Verb

Count seats against your guest list, then throw down floor cushions or a blanket pile instead of dragging in extra chairs.

— Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
Plus, because most wide-legs have longer inseams, a low heel prevents them from dragging on the ground.

— Eva Thomas, InStyle, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of dragging

Verb

And those striving for zest under these circumstances may benefit from assistance from a mental health professional like a psychologist, a physical health provider like a physician, or a personal trainer or fitness instructor.

— Joan M. Cook, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
There was a phone booth across the street where striving actors would take calls from their agents, before cell phones.

— Sam Kashner, Vanity Fair, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of striving

Verb

Each time a shutter fires, and each time a tire squeals, involves countless pieces working together to deliver a smooth outcome.

— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Linn County prosecutors declined to file criminal charges, but the church barred Moore from working with children, youth and vulnerable adults.

— Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of working

Browse Nearby Words

tugged

tugging

tug-of-war

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Tugging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tugging. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of tugging

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

puissant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes